Lithuanian court rejects MP Vėgėlė’s appeal over halted pre-trial investigation

A Lithuanian court has upheld prosecutors’ decision to drop a pre-trial investigation into alleged incitement to hatred, terrorism, and systematic harassment against MP Ignas Vėgėlė, LRT reports.

Vilnius Regional Court dismissed an appeal by Vėgėlė’s lawyer, leaving in force the prosecutor’s ruling to terminate the probe. The investigation began in April 2025 after Vėgėlė and fellow MP Robertas Puchovičius filed complaints over a Facebook post by activist Šarūnas Jasiukevičius criticising lawmakers who opposed extending sanctions on Russia.

The politicians also cited subsequent comments under the post, as well as a separate article by Jasiukevičius linking Vėgėlė to collaborationism, which they claimed incited hatred and contained threats. However, Vilnius District Prosecutor Edvinas Navickas concluded in January that no criminal or administrative offence had been committed, noting that while the remarks were harsh, they did not constitute credible threats or systematic harassment.

The regional court’s final ruling affirmed that prosecutors had gathered sufficient evidence and provided thorough justification for halting the investigation. It noted that Jasiukevičius’s post addressed a politically sensitive issue—opposition to Russia sanctions—and that public criticism of state officials on matters of national security may be intense but does not automatically equate to incitement.

While some comments were deemed degrading, the case materials on those authors were referred to police to assess potential administrative violations. The remaining comments could not be attributed to identifiable individuals, leading prosecutors to suspend that part of the investigation.