Lithuania’s foreign ministry says it has no information about convicted activist’s UN visit

Lithuania’s foreign ministry has stated it has no record of convicted activist Antanas Kandrotas, also known as Celofanas, visiting the United Nations office in Geneva, BNS reported on Monday.

The ministry confirmed that Lithuania’s permanent mission to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva “has no information about the activities of the mentioned citizen on UN territory in Geneva.” The response came after inquiries about whether Lithuanian diplomatic missions in Switzerland had been notified of Kandrotas’s visit and what measures, if any, were taken to prevent potential provocations.

Kandrotas claimed on social media that he delivered a speech at the UN headquarters on Monday, addressing “all the problems,” though no evidence of such a speech has been provided. On Tuesday morning, he announced his return from Geneva to Minsk.

His trip abroad has raised questions about compliance with a written undertaking not to leave Lithuania—a lenient pretrial restriction imposed in at least two ongoing cases. Police have stated they do not actively monitor adherence to this measure, while courts have yet to rule on whether the undertaking was violated or to impose stricter conditions.

Kandrotas, previously convicted of financial crimes, was sentenced last September to four years in prison for rioting near the Seimas (parliament) building, though the ruling is not yet final, with an appeal hearing scheduled for September. In a separate case, he was handed a one-year sentence for inciting hatred against former MP Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius over his sexual orientation and for public order violations, but this verdict is also under appeal. He is considered a repeat offender in both cases.

Additionally, Vilnius District Court began hearing a new case in April, where Kandrotas is accused of assaulting public figure Valdas Bartkevičius in a public place. Under Lithuanian law, a defendant under a written undertaking must notify the court before leaving their place of residence for more than seven days domestically or seeking permission to travel abroad. While violating the undertaking does not carry direct penalties, courts may impose stricter measures to ensure the defendant’s presence during proceedings.

Vilnius court representatives told BNS that Kandrotas had not informed the courts of his travel plans or requested permission to leave the country in any of the ongoing cases.