Lithuanian court rejects request to consult Israeli embassy in hate speech case

A Lithuanian appeals court has rejected a request by Remigijus Žemaitaitis, the convicted leader of the far-right “Aušra” movement, to seek expert input from Israel’s embassy as part of his ongoing trial for inciting hatred and Holocaust denial, LRT reports.

During Thursday’s hearing, Žemaitaitis and his defence lawyer Vytautas Sirvydis submitted two requests: one for a new linguistic and historical expert review of his statements, and another for the court to consult Israel’s embassy on whether a majority of its citizens are of Jewish ethnicity. The court dismissed both.

Žemaitaitis, participating remotely, argued that his remarks about Israel and Jewish people had been misinterpreted, claiming the prosecution selectively analysed his social media posts while ignoring broader context. “Only certain sentences, certain ‘posts’ were examined, without assessing my other statements or the full context,” he said, insisting he had not promoted hatred but was instead warning about political consequences.

His lawyer reinforced this stance, requesting the court question linguist Samanta Kietytė, who previously evaluated Žemaitaitis’s speech, and argued that linking Jewish people to Israeli government actions did not constitute antisemitism. “The claim that Jews are responsible for Israel’s policies cannot express an antisemitic idea,” Sirvydis stated.

Presiding judge Vitalija Norkūnaitė ruled the requests groundless, affirming that Kietytė had sufficient expertise to assess the case and that diplomatic queries about Israel’s demographic composition fell outside the embassy’s purview. The court urged both sides to proceed to closing arguments, with the next hearing scheduled for May 21.

Žemaitaitis, a member of parliament, is appealing a December 2025 conviction for inciting hatred and Holocaust denial, for which he was fined €5,000. Prosecutors have demanded a harsher penalty—€51,250—and the reinstatement of previously dismissed charges related to Holocaust denial. The case centres on seven of his 2023 Facebook posts and a parliamentary speech deemed to have promoted hatred against Jewish people.