Lithuania / Vilnius Regional Court / Criminal case No. 1S-94-1020/2017

Country

Lithuania

Title

Lithuania / Vilnius Regional Court / Criminal case No. 1S-94-1020/2017

View full Case

Year

2017

Decision/ruling/judgment date

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Incident(s) concerned/related

Incitement to violence or hatred

Related Bias motivation

Migrant status

Groups affected

Refugees & asylum seekers

Court/Body type

National Court

Court/Body

Regional court (Apygardos teismas)

Key facts of the case

The case concerns online incitement to hatred and violence. European Foundation of Human Rights, non-governmental human rights organization, lodged complaint of commentary on public article "Danish parliamentary shuddered with request to shoot migrant boats" of following words: "Good idea - each country and her citizens are OBLIGATED to defend themselves and country from parasites-occupants. Deport everyone!".

Main reasoning/argumentation

Regional court dissmised complaint as without substance and there where none criminal activity. Court evaluated statement as negative, but person didn't tried to adress other people to use violence. Thus statement could be evaluated as morally and ethically disturbing, but not breaking law.

Is the case related to the application of the Framework Decision on Racism and Xenophobia, the Racial Equality Directive?

Key issues (concepts, interpretations) clarified by the case

Key issue was to evaluate statement as was it incitement to violence or not.

Results (sanctions, outcome) and key consequences or implications of the case

Complaint was dismised and no appeal where followed up. The identification of hate-crimes in Lithuanian judicial system is still problematic issue.

Key quotation in original language and its unofficial translation into English with reference details

"Todėl teismas sutinka su pirmosios instancijos teismo išvada, kad nors asmens, pasivadinusio „A“ vardu, komentare išdėstytos mintys bei vertinimai pasižymi nekorektiškumu bei gali būti vertinami kaip pažeidžiantys etikos bei moralės normas, tačiau neturi realaus pagrindo ir nėra nukreipti skatinti neapykantą bei kurstyti smurtauti prieš žmonių grupę ir negali būti kvalifikuoti kaip nusikalstama veika, numatyta BK 170 straipsnyje/ "

"Thus Court agrees with first instance court evaluation, that person who is named „A“ statement and ideas could be evaluated as incorrect and could be evaluated as morally and etchically disturbing, but there is no real basis and there is no incitement to hatred and violence againts group of people and cannot be qualified as criminal activity, which is prohibited in 170 article of Penal code."

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