Lithuanian culture ministry forms commission to investigate language chief’s controversial remarks

A special commission has been established to examine whether the head of Lithuania’s State Language Inspectorate violated ethical standards with his public statements defending the use of the terms “negras” (a racial slur equivalent to the N-word) and “čigonas” (a term for Romani people), the LRT news portal reports, citing the Culture Ministry.

The commission must submit its findings to Culture Minister Vaida Aleknavičienė by 21 April, the ministry confirmed in a statement to the ELTA news agency. The probe follows remarks by Inspectorate chief Audrius Valotka, who told LRT that both terms were “permissible” and “normal” in Lithuanian.

“The word ‘negras‘ is a normal, permissible word. (…) It is a good, normal word. The word ‘čigonas‘ is an old, traditional, good word,” Valotka stated, dismissing objections from Romani communities. He argued that the term appears in folklore and poetry, adding: “The Romani do not get to regulate the Lithuanian language. ‘Čigonas‘ is a fact of our language, part of our linguistic heritage.”

The ministry’s move comes after the Supreme Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) declined to open its own investigation earlier this week. Minister Aleknavičienė ordered the internal review on Monday, following her meeting with Valotka.

Valotka has faced repeated criticism for public statements. In May 2023, 16 human rights organisations urged then-Culture Minister Šarūnas Birutis to block Valotka’s appointment, citing a pattern of “xenophobic attitudes” toward ethnic minorities and migrants. Birutis ultimately issued Valotka a reprimand for calling—during a 2022 TV appearance—to eliminate Polish-language schools in Lithuania, comparing their signage to “markers of occupied territory” in Russia’s Donbas region.

Last October, Valotka received another official warning for claiming that cancer patients “speak in čiurkų [derogatory term for Turkic] languages,” though he later insisted he had said “tiurkų” (Turkic). Earlier controversies include his 2022 radio remarks that Polish village nameplates in Vilnius District violated Lithuanian law and echoed “Russian occupation tactics.”