Lithuanian national broadcaster’s governing council to hold final meeting

The governing council of Lithuania’s national broadcaster LRT will convene for its final session on Tuesday, where it will approve the 2025 activity report for submission to parliament and address other key issues, BNS reports.

According to council chairman Mindaugas Jurkynas, the meeting will present findings related to a January incident in which LRT publicly announced—then later reversed—a decision to exclude Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the ruling “Homeland Union,” from live funeral broadcasts. Jurkynas had previously stated that LRT director Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė should resign over the matter.

“The issue involved potential manifestations of censorship, where it was preemptively decided within the organisation that certain politicians would not be allowed on live broadcasts, and a commission was formed to investigate,” Jurkynas said. “Representatives of the content committee will report on this matter at the upcoming meeting.”

The session marks the end of the four-year terms for four council members: Darijus Beinoravičius (delegated by the Science Council), Irena Vaišvilaitė (Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference), Jonas Staselis (Lithuanian Creators’ Association), and Eugenijus Valatka (Education Council).

Replacements have been nominated: Daiva Daugirdienė (Lithuanian Literary Translators’ Association), Ramutė Ruškytė (former Constitutional Court justice), and Dainius Žvirdauskas (director of Kaunas University of Technology Engineering Lyceum). The Science Council has yet to select its delegate.

The meeting follows recent parliamentary debates on amendments to LRT’s governing law, which critics argue could politicise the broadcaster and threaten press freedom. Supporters deny these claims, stating the changes aim to improve governance after a state audit. Earlier concerns suggested the amendments might ease the dismissal of LRT’s director-general, though current council members have not publicly endorsed such a goal.

The 12-member council includes four appointees each from the president, parliament (split equally between ruling and opposition factions), and cultural, scientific, and educational institutions. Members serve six-year terms.