Lithuanian MP found in breach of ethics for using offensive term during committee meeting

The Seimas Ethics and Procedure Commission ruled on Wednesday that conservative lawmaker Vytautas Juozapaitis violated ethical standards during a Cultural Affairs Committee session by using the derogatory term “debile” (idiot), LRT reports.

The incident occurred in late April during a remote committee meeting discussing amendments to the governance of Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT). Frustrated by his microphone being repeatedly muted, Juozapaitis exclaimed: “I want to speak, a word must be said, a word. A word, you idiot…” The remark was directed toward committee chairman Kęstutis Vilkauskas, a Social Democrat, who controlled the microphone settings.

Juozapaitis later issued a public apology, stating the outburst was an emotional reaction to technical disruptions rather than a personal attack. He claimed he believed his microphone was off when the word was uttered. However, Vilkauskas told the ethics commission he interpreted the remark as a direct insult, a view he said was shared by the public.

The commission determined that even under emotional stress, degrading language is incompatible with the dignity of a Seimas member and undermines public trust in parliament. It noted this was not Juozapaitis’s first ethics violation of this nature.

LRT is a media outlet certified under the international Journalism Trust Initiative.