First penalty for comments

The campaign of the European Foundation of Human Rights against the increasing wave of hatred on the internet in Lithuania brings first positive results.

On 27^th January 2012, a district court of the city of Kaunas issued an injunction for the citizen of Kaunas, Andrius Bražėnas for humiliating and inciting to discrimination on the grounds of nationality statements. For his comments: „ši nelojali Lietuvai šūdlenkių šunauja nebus išvyta iš Lietuvos, tol dergs mūsų valstybė“ (translation, “this disloyal to Lithuania group of “shitpoles” will not be kicked out of Lithuania until they contaminate the state”), „tokie šūdlenkių išsikalbėjimai vyktų kokioje nors Kaukazo ar Vidurinės azijos šalyje, ŠŪDLENKIAM būtų padaryta Baltramiejaus naktis ir baigtųsi tos nesąmonės. Komuniagos debilai prisižadėjo visokių nesąmonių, o dabar ŠŪDLENKIAI, kurstomi Lenkijos lenkų reikalauja įvykdyti įsipareigojimus. Tegul apsišikėliai prašo pas komuniagą AM B. Lai paverkia prie kapo“ (translation, “if such statements of “shitpoles” took place in any other country of Caucasus or Central Asia, “SHITPOLES” would experience the night of St. Bartholomew and all this rubbish would come to an end. Moron communists promised a lot of rubbish, and now the “SHITPOLES”, incited by the Polish Poles, demand the fulfillment of those. The “shitty people” should ask the communist AM B. They should cry at the grave.”) and „Apsišikęs šūdlenki, užsičiaupk ir eik gult į būdą“ (translation, “Shitty Pole, shut up and go to a kennel”) the author was punished with the restriction of freedom for 6 months. The court obliged him also to do 40 hours of community service at health care centres or non-governmental organisations, taking care of disabled, elderly people etc.

It is the first punishment on the basis of one of the dozen of applications of the European Foundation of Human Rights, directed at the prosecutor’s office within the campaign, which has been led for the past few months, aiming at ending of the feeling of impunity of all those, who without any inhibition and other doubts, violate the dignity of others, e.g. they are calling for the deprivation of their lives (http://www.efhr.eu/2011/08/18/europejska-fundacja-praw-człowieka-przeciwko-narastającej-fali-nienawiści-w-internecie-na-litwie/).

Through the action of sending applications to the law enforcement authorities on the comments, which are against the law, the Foundation would like to lead to the situation that the state authorities, which are responsible for the law enforcement, start perceiving the gravity of the situation and the danger, related to it. The state cannot passively look at the increasing wave of hatred on the scale hitherto unknown. The results of such approach are visible, among others, in opinion polls, in which it can be clearly seen that the negative campaign against the national minorities, led by politicians and media, has shifted to the Lithuanian society (http://www.efhr.eu/2012/01/06/europejska-fundacja-praw-człowieka-zaniepokojona-wynikami-sondażu/).

Next two people, accused of similar comments, are waiting for penal decisions. 

European Foundation of Human Rights would like to cordially thank all those, who are sending us information on the topic of the unlawful comments. Without your help, this success would not be possible.

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