Bulldozer parked outside parliament in protest against proposed LRT law amendments

A bulldozer was positioned outside Lithuania’s parliament (Seimas) on Friday as a symbolic protest against proposed amendments to the law governing the national broadcaster LRT, LRT.lt reports.

The demonstration, organised by the Journalists’ Professional Association and the Cultural Assembly, began at 10:30 AM near the Seimas and the Martynas Mažvydas National Library. Birutė Davidonytė, head of the Journalists’ Professional Association, and Karolis Kaupinis of the Cultural Assembly’s initiative group announced plans for further protests during a brief press conference.

Critics argue the proposed legal changes would undermine LRT’s independence. Key amendments include establishing a governing board, expanding the broadcaster’s council, altering the procedure for dismissing the director-general, and restricting the participation of journalists from other media outlets in LRT programming.

The working group behind the amendments, formed by the Speaker of the Seimas, has proposed that LRT’s channels and website prohibit other media from operating without council approval. Journalists working for external outlets would only be permitted to contribute to LRT content under conditions set by its editorial policy, with declared conflicts of interest.

The Venice Commission has assessed the amendments under an urgent procedure. A previous protest on April 8, under the slogan “Hands off free speech! We will not surrender,” drew around 10,000 participants.