Expert estimate: Tatyana Slivenko case falsified

Alexander Asnis, attorney of Tatyana Slivenko, whose family had been deported from Latvia and all property was confiscated, says the case submitted by the Latvian authorities to the European Court contains falsified data. PRAVDA.Ru already published that the Russian family of Nikolai Slivenko, a retired Soviet Army lieutenant colonel and a resident of Riga, was forced to leave Latvia in 1996, when local law enforcers raided their flat, seized all of their documents and ordered the Slivenkos out of the country. The family moved to Kursk, Russia and have so far been unable to visit Slivenko's elderly parents, who still reside in Latvia. So, investigation of the case is taking a new unexpected turn.

In the attorney’s words, as of now the European court is trying the case without representatives of both parties, on the basis of documents presented, as it had been originally decided to hold the investigation in a closed regime. On June 21 Tatyana Slivenko’s defense said it was necessary to hold special verbal hearings to investigate, where the falsified documents were coming from.

The situation developed this way. The main reason why Tatyana Slivenko was deported from Latvia was that she had provided fictitious data concerning employment of her husband. In 1993 the woman filled a registration form like all Latvian citizens did and informed, her husband worked at one of the Riga enterprises, at the time when Nikolay Slivenko was a Soviet Army officer. The fraud was disclosed in 1996.

Attorneys had doubts as to authenticity of a registration form copy with Tatyana Slivenko’s signature presented to the European Court. Recent expertise held at the Forensic Expertise Federal Center at Russia’s Ministry of Justice revealed: the signature had been falsified.

It means, Tatyana Slivenko says truth that she never presented falsified data and forged documents. It is a mere forgery committed by the Latvian authorities. Attorneys informed the European Court judges of the expertise results. They were also supported by Russian Plenipotentiary to the EU Human Rights Court Pavel Laptev who sent an official memorandum to the Court. ITAR-TASS reports Laptev’s words: “Russia insists that the European Court should hold an expert verification of authenticity of all documents used by the Latvian authorities to explain their position concerning the claim Tatyana Slivenko and others vs. Latvia.”

Examination held by highly qualified linguists revealed gross mistakes in translation of the documents into English performed by the Latvian party. The mistakes interpret the case in Latvia’s favor.

So, Latvia is in for serious problems as it has now to explain origin of the falsified documents. Slandering of the honest Russian family may bring many problems to Latvia.

Russia acts as the third person in the case “Tatyana Slivenko and others vs. Latvia”, Latvia is the respondent. Tatyana Slivenko sent an appeal to Strasbourg in January 1999.

Against the background of the case, words of Latvian Prime Minister Andris Berzins sound rather cynical: “We are aiming at living in peace, stability and safety. Everybody want their children live in stability and normal relations. To my mind, it is to the good of everyone. What is more important is that support of the Latvian, as well as Russian population is increasing.

Sergey Yugov PRAVDA.Ru

In the photo by ORT: Tatyana Slivenko

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/07/06/43791.html