DISTURBED Frontman: RANDY BLYTHE's Indictment 'Is A Travesty Of Justice'

DISTURBED singer David Draiman is among the artists who have spoken out in defense of LAMB OF GOD vocalist Randy Blythe, who has been officially indicted on charges of manslaughter by the State Attorney's Office in Prague, the Czech Republic. The charges were filed on Friday (November 30) and mean that Blythe will likely have to stand trial. The LAMB OF GOD singer was arrested last summer and held in a Czech prison for five weeks when the band stopped there on a European tour. He was forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in bail before being allowed to return home.

The charges stem from an incident in 2010 in which a fan died nearly a month after he sustained a head injury following an apparent stage fall while attending a LAMB OF GOD concert in Prague. The prosecutor maintains that Blythe pushed the man off the stage, leading to his injury.

The District Court in Prague now has three months to either set a trial date or to delay the hearing for further investigation.

If the case goes to trial and Blythe is convicted of manslaughter, he could face five to 10 years in prison. He has declared his innocence and has vowed to return to Prague and stand trial if necessary, saying he will not hide out in the U.S.

In a new post on DISTURBED's Facebook page, Draiman writes: "My brothers and sisters, my blood, our friend Randy Blythe of LAMB OF GOD has now officially been indicted on charges of manslaughter. This is a travesty of justice. He is being a man and standing up to these charges. Show your support by on their Facebook page and Twitter pages, raise awareness amongst your friends, and take the time to donate to his defense fund on both pages. You can also help by writing your local elected officials and pressuring the U.S. dept of foreign affairs/state department to get personally involved. we stand behind Randy, hope all of you will as well. As always, much respect."

LAMB OF GOD's manager issued a response to the news of the charges, saying in part, "We intend to fight vigorously against these charges as we feel that in no way did Randy intend to cause bodily harm on the young fan who subsequently died from injuries sustained at the show . . . At this point, all that the band, myself, and our lawyers can do is to present a defense and try to convince the panel of judges who will hear the case that Randy is innocent of all charges."