Court decided to dismiss LGL’s appeal against social video ban

On October 27, 2014 Lithuanian news agency “BNS” reported that Vilnius Regional Administrative Court decided to dismiss LGL’s appeal against social video ban, stating that the document, issued by the Lithuanian Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics‘, which argues that the video has a detrimental effect on minors, is a recommendation and do not cause any rights or obligations.

National LGBT* rights organization LGL will appeal Vilnius Regional Administrative Court’s judgment to Supreme Administrative Court Of Lithuania.

On October 23, 2014 LGL appealed to Vilnius Regional Administrative Court, requesting it to revoke the decision of the Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics’ that social video on LGBT* issues should be restricted under the controversial Lithuanian Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effects of Public Information.

In the appeal to Vilnius Regional Administrative Court, the National LGBT* rights organization LGL states that, based on the conclusion, the TV3 channel agreed to air the ad only after 11 PM and marked with a sign indicating content unsuitable for minors.

According to LGL, the video is aimed at “showing that there are people with other sexual orientations in the society who (…) don’t want to be oppressed or discriminated against” but the video “does not in any way invite viewers to become homosexual or form same-sex families”.

The appeal was signed by the organization’s leader Vladimir Simonko.

The appeal also states that the conclusion of the inspector of journalist ethics “makes information on LGBT people completely inaccessible to minors” although “minors are the ones who bully and use physical or psychological violence against their peers and other people of other sexual orientations”.