Lithuanian court rejects another attempt to remove judge from treason case

A Lithuanian court has dismissed a second attempt by Erika Švenčionienė and Kazimieras Juraitis, accused of acting against Lithuania, to remove Judge Mindaugas Povilanskas from their case, LRT reports.

The defendants had argued that Povilanskas was politically biased, citing his earlier explanation that a Ukrainian flag displayed on the courthouse reflected solidarity with Ukraine. Švenčionienė claimed the court had become “an active participant in geopolitical events” and could not remain impartial.

“The law does not provide for the permanent display of another state’s flag,” she told the Vilnius Regional Court on Tuesday. “The court cannot take sides in a geopolitical conflict. Its declared solidarity prevents me from trusting its objectivity.”

Judge Povilanskas rejected the challenge, stating that the defendants had failed to present legally valid grounds for his removal. This is not the first such attempt—similar requests have been made in nearly every hearing since the case was transferred to the court in late 2023, yet proceedings have still not concluded.

During the session, Švenčionienė defended her 2022 trip to Belarus, insisting no travel ban had been in place. “There was no prohibition on travel—we went, and the Constitution allowed it,” she said. She also complained that the case had been “politicised” and that her right to a defence had been restricted.

“A political case has been turned into a criminal one. I need a ruling from the Constitutional Court—I don’t understand the charges, and my ability to defend myself has been limited,” she argued.

Švenčionienė, Juraitis, and former pro-Soviet organisation leader Valerijus Ivanov face accusations of aiding Russian and Belarusian groups in actions against Lithuania. Prosecutors allege they participated in Belarusian and Russian media broadcasts, publicly supported authoritarian policies, and denied the legitimacy of Lithuania’s parliament.

Švenčionienė is further accused of endorsing Belarus’s 2022 constitutional referendum, which abolished presidential term limits and nuclear neutrality, as well as justifying Soviet-era crimes, including the 1991 Vilnius crackdown. Investigators claim she and Ivanov attended a 2023 event where Ivanov suggested that Soviet forces may not have been responsible for the January 13 killings.

The case remains ongoing at the Vilnius Regional Court.