Statute of Great Dukedom of Lithuania 1588

PART 12

ARTICLE 7

About the rights and responsibilities of the Jews.

If a Jew killed wounded or beat a Jew then this trial should be held in the Jewish court, by their laws and privileges. If a knight killed a Jew and was cot on the place of the crime, then [a knight] mast be beheaded, but a fine [to the victims' family] wouldn't be paid. The same should apply in case of the robbery, and the damage to the victims' property made by a killer or robber mast be paid by the evidence. If a knight who convicted in the crime by this article don't have a homestead and doesn't serve to anybody, but only play the dice and drinking, then even if didn't get catch on the place of the crime, mast be beheaded. If some knight did that crime by accident, and run away from the place of the crime, then called to the court from his homestead and investigated properly and sworn that killed by accident, then shouldn't be punished by death, but a fine [to the victims' family] for a killing or for the wounds, by the evidence, mast pay as to a knight. If the killing [of a Jew] was done by a Christian of the lower status [then a knight], when even if [a murder] escaped from a place of the crime but called to a court and convicted then [a murder] mast be punished by death. If [he] wounded [a Jew] so the wounds was dangerous to the health [of a victim] or bloody, then for that mast pay the penalty [to a victim] as to a knight by this statute. If [a criminal] was so poor that couldn't pay the penalty than mast be punished by the prison time by their [the people of that status] privileges, and over that, mast pay to the doctor for the medicines. For lesser beating [a criminal] also mast be punished by some prison time, on the court discretion. If any limb was damaged, then the [court] ruling about that mast be held on the ground of this statute as written in damages. For other crimes [against the Jews] they [the Christians] mast be judged and punished by their [the criminals] rights and privileges. If the Jews was accused in any crime by our governors, sheriffs or other government employs, then they, as other our subjects, who doesn't have knight's rights, mast be judged and punished on the ground of rights and the privileges given to them. If a Jew or a Jewess was converted to the Christian religion, then any person like that, and their descendents, mast be treated as the knights.