Lithuanian Supreme Court upholds acquittal of man who called Russian-speaking women “trash”

Lithuania’s Supreme Court has upheld the acquittal of Povilas Graževičius, who was previously found guilty of inciting hatred against people of Russian nationality, LRT reports.

The court ruled that while the phrases he used were offensive and degrading, they did not constitute incitement to hatred or discrimination based on ethnicity or language. The three-judge panel stated that the remarks were made during a mutual conflict in a café, directed at the women’s behaviour rather than their nationality or origin.

In December 2025, the Vilnius Regional Court had overturned an earlier acquittal, fining Graževičius €3,000 and ordering him to compensate the victims for material and non-material damages. However, the Supreme Court found that the appellate court had failed to properly assess the context of the incident, including the mutual conflict and its causes.

The judges emphasised that mere offensive or degrading statements in public are not sufficient to establish criminal liability for hate speech. There must be evidence that such statements incite hatred or discrimination against a group based on ethnicity or nationality, which was not proven in this case.

The Supreme Court’s decision is final and cannot be appealed. Graževičius had previously stated that the case had cost him both financially and emotionally, preventing him from participating in the activities of the Riflemen’s Union.