Court orders Žemaitaitis to participate in defamation case brought by Jakilaitis

Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the “Nemuno aušra” party, must participate in civil court hearings regarding a defamation lawsuit filed against him by journalist Edmundas Jakilaitis, the Vilnius City District Court ruled on Tuesday, LRT reports.

Judge Gerda Sinkevičienė stated that the court had decided both parties must attend the proceedings. The most recent hearing saw only Žemaitaitis’ representatives—attorney Reda Kurlavičienė and her assistant Vilmantas Rastenis—in attendance. Jakilaitis’ lawyer, Algimantas Šindeikis, participated remotely and noted the defendant’s absence, questioning whether the case could proceed without him.

Jakilaitis’ lawsuit alleges that Žemaitaitis’ statements, published on Facebook in October last year, were unethical, lacked factual basis, and damaged the journalist’s reputation. The post included a quote from Žemaitaitis calling Jakilaitis a “Kremlin worm” and accusing him of “wriggling to please the conservative crowd.” Jakilaitis is seeking 10,000 euros in non-pecuniary damages and reimbursement of legal costs.

The next hearing is scheduled for August 21.

This is not the first defamation case involving Žemaitaitis. In April 2024, the Klaipėda Regional Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that his statements about activist Andrius Tapinas and his organization “Laisvės TV” were false and damaging. Žemaitaitis was ordered to remove the posts, pay 2,000 euros to Tapinas and 1,000 euros to “Laisvės TV” in damages, and cover 7,200 euros in legal fees.