Teismui perduota byla, kurioje Aurimas Drižius kaltinamas šmeižimu

Vilnius, Lithuania — The Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office has sent to court a criminal case accusing public information producer Aurimas Drižius of defamation, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Friday.

The pre-trial investigation concluded that Drižius, acting as a public information producer responsible for preparing and publishing content, allegedly conspired with the victim’s former spouse to publish articles and videos containing false and defamatory claims about the victim. The investigation reviewed 32 such publications released between 6 January 2021 and 11 September 2024 in the media outlets Laisvas laikraštis and Laisvas.info.

The pre-trial investigation, led by a prosecutor from the Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office and conducted by officers from the Vilnius County Police Commissariat, found that for more than three years, false statements alleging various crimes and fabricated personal information about the victim were repeatedly published in an effort to damage public trust and humiliate the individual.

According to the Criminal Code, defamation through mass media—defined as spreading false information that could humiliate or discredit a person or undermine trust in them, or accusing someone of a deliberate crime—is punishable by community service, fines, restricted freedom, arrest, or imprisonment for up to one year.

The case has been referred to the Vilnius City District Court for adjudication.