Court hears complaint over police decision to drop Miliūtė case

Vilnius City District Court on Tuesday heard Salininkai eldership representative Violeta Fominienė-Salemonė’s complaint against a police decision to terminate administrative proceedings against journalist Rita Miliūtė for publicly displaying her middle finger, LRT reported.

“Public exposure and being the face of LRT do not put a crown on anyone’s head. We ask her to take off the crown, be a person like us ordinary people and answer under the law,” Fominienė-Salemonė told ELTA at the hearing.

Miliūtė and her lawyer did not attend the hearing but asked for the case to be examined in their absence. Fominienė-Salemonė told the court she wanted Miliūtė to attend because she had questions about the gesture.

Judge Vitalijus Melnikovas rejected the request, saying Miliūtė and her lawyer had been properly informed of the hearing and had not asked for it to be postponed. Police representatives also did not attend.

Fominienė-Salemonė said she disagreed with the Vilnius County Chief Police Commissariat’s decision in August to terminate the administrative proceedings. She argued that the police had not impartially investigated the circumstances and had failed to ensure her rights as a recognised victim.

“This is not a question of 15 or 30 euros. LRT is funded by all taxpayers and represents the values of the state and society. Her gesture was disrespectful to her employer and the people of Lithuania,” she said.

Fominienė-Salemonė asked the court to overturn the police decision and return the case to the Vilnius County Chief Police Commissariat for a new examination. She also asked that her right to receive advance notice, attend the oral hearing, provide explanations and comment on evidence submitted by the other party be ensured.

The court will announce its decision on September 30.

Gesture at protest

The case concerns a protest held outside the Seimas in April against proposed amendments to the LRT law. Participants in the “Hands off free speech. We will not give in” protest called on politicians to abandon proposals they said threatened media freedom. Police estimated that about 10,000 people may have attended.

Miliūtė appeared on stage and displayed her middle finger in the direction of the Seimas. She later received a 15-euro fine, but challenged the decision. Her complaint was upheld and the administrative proceedings against her were terminated.