Recommendations on Investigation of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Came into Force

The methodological recommendations of the new version of the pre-trial investigation regarding hate crimes, inciting hate speech, that were approved by the Prosecutor General‘s Office of the Republic of Lithuania, came into force on the 1st of April, 2020. The recommendations present the concepts of hate crimes and hate speech, the criteria and specifics of

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Baltic Pride festival in Lithuania. On the occasion of this anniversary, it is interesting to remember how the first LGBT community march, which took place in Vilnius on May 8, 2010, was presented in Lithuanian media. According to an article by Darja Davydova written for publication “Changing

2019 was a significant year for the LGBT community because of the important achievements made when defending its rights before national and supranational courts. In this interview, Vytautas Mizaras, a professor of the Faculty of Law in Vilnius University (VU), reviews the major achievements of LGBT human rights over the past year and looks at

LGL Annual Report for 2019 Now Available Online

The National LGBT rights organization LGL is proud to announce the annual report for 2019. Transparency and independence from any political or financial interests are one of the most important goals for our organization in order to achieve effective inclusion and social integration of local LGBT community. LGL’s annual report for 2019 comprehensively presents organization’s

2 videos on the law enforcement response to hate crimes have been published

On 22 February Europe commemorates European Day for Victims of Crime. Unfortunately, in Lithuania hate crimes are often regarded as less significant and dangerous, and despite the regulation established in the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the motive of hate is often not considered as an aggravating circumstance. For a more effective law

Lithuanian artist Alen Chicco suffered a homophobic attack in one of Vilnius bars

Last weekend for Tomas Alenčikas-Alen Chicco was extremely uncomfortable – a visit into one of the bars ended in an assault and beating. “No, it is not filter, it’s Lithuania”, after publishing the photo, wrote Alen Chicco. When journalists contacted Tomas, he said that he had been attacked on Sunday night at the “Pilėnai” bar

STRASBOURG OBSERVERS, February 7, 2020 Ingrida Milkaite is a PhD researcher in the research group Law & Technology at Ghent University, Belgium. She is working on the research project ‘A children’s rights perspective on privacy and data protection in the digital age’ (Ghent University, Special Research Fund) and is a member of the Human Rights Centre at the Faculty of Law and

On April 1, 2001, just a few seconds after midnight, Mayor of Amsterdam was the first registrar in the world to marry a gay couple. That night four same-sex couples tied the knot, followed by another 382 who married in the same month. Currently sixteen European countries fully recognize same-sex marriages, while thirteen recognize a

In today’s Chamber judgment1 in the case of Beizaras and Levickas v. Lithuania (application no. 41288/15) the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been: a violation of Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights, taken in conjunction with Article 8 (right to respect for private and

Season’s Greetings from LGL: Thank you for the Success of the Baltic Pride!

2019 was a year of exciting challenges and inspiring victories for the National LGBT rights organization LGL. Thanks to your encouragement and support, LGL was able to take many important steps aimed at improving the LGBT human rights situation in Lithuania. This year, LGL has implemented a number of successful projects. The most notable of

First European Parliament resolution on LGBTI rights of the 9th legislature

On December 18th 2019, the European Parliament adopted its first text dedicated to LGBTI rights: a resolution on public discrimination and hate speech against LGBTI people. Malin Björk, Vice-president of the LGBTI Intergroup, said: “It is simply unacceptable to see “LGBTI-free zones” spread in an EU country.” “Adopting resolutions that discriminate against LGBTI people and their families will

LGL and All Out Started a Petition to end LGBT content censorship in Lithuania

On December 16th, 2019 LGL and All Out started collecting signatures on a petition to put an end to LGBT content censorship in Lithuania. The target of the petition is the Law on the Protection of Minors Against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information, which for almost ten years makes Lithuania the only EU member