Lithuania launches pre-trial investigation into approval of Soviet crimes and their denial

Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office has launched a pre-trial investigation into a YouTube video in which the author allegedly expressed public approval of Soviet aggression against Lithuania, LRT reports.

The case follows a complaint filed by the Journalists’ Ethics Inspectorate. Prosecutors in Klaipėda will oversee the investigation, which examines whether the video’s content—discussing deportations—constitutes endorsement of international crimes committed by the USSR or Nazi Germany, their denial, or gross trivialisation.

Under Lithuanian law, such acts are punishable by community service, fines, restriction of liberty, arrest, or imprisonment for up to two years.