Lithuania backs public register of child sex offenders

Lithuania’s parliament is moving toward creating a publicly accessible register of people convicted of criminal offences against children, with support from both the ruling coalition and the opposition, LRT reports.

The proposed online list would include a person’s name, surname, year of birth, municipality of residence and the date when the conviction took effect. It would be available to everyone without registration.

Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas said on Thursday that the register would serve as an additional preventive measure.

“You would not simply serve your sentence and then be free as a bird again, while the offence or crime is forgotten. The offence would still be remembered,” Olekas said. He added that parents could use the register to check whether people convicted of such crimes were in their children’s surroundings.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, chairman of the Homeland Union Lithuanian Christian Democrats, also said the register could help prevent offences. He said potential offenders would know that they could remain publicly identified for at least five years after serving their sentences.

“There is no silver bullet, but we cannot do nothing either,” Kasčiūnas said.

Under the proposal, information would remain public for five years after a person completed their sentence or a court-imposed criminal measure. It would then be removed.

The list would not include photographs, exact home addresses or other information that could help identify a child who was harmed. Data could be removed earlier if a conviction were overturned, a person were rehabilitated or proceedings were reopened because of newly discovered circumstances.

The proposal would also prohibit using the information to discriminate against or intimidate convicted people or their family members, or for purposes unrelated to protecting children.

The idea of establishing the register resurfaced after the General Prosecutor’s Office announced in mid-August that it had referred a criminal case to court against a Catholic priest who worked in the Vilnius Archdiocese. The priest faces 34 charges involving sexual abuse of children, possession of pornographic material and involving children in drinking. Prosecutors suspect the offences may have continued for more than 20 years.

The case is linked to another criminal case sent to court at the end of June against a second priest who also worked in the Vilnius Archdiocese. He is accused of possessing pornographic material.

Although the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Vilnius Archdiocese have declined to name the priests, they have been identified as 56-year-old Tadas Švedavičius and 51-year-old Ryšardas Peciunas. Švedavičius acknowledges his guilt, has asked to be removed from the priesthood and has pledged to compensate those affected, according to the archbishop of Vilnius. Peciunas denies his guilt.