Defendants in Lithuanian parliament riots case deliver final statements in Vilnius court

The Vilnius Regional Court has begun hearing final statements from defendants in the appeal trial of the 2021 riots outside the Lithuanian parliament, as the case nears its conclusion, BNS reports.

In 2023, the Vilnius District Court convicted 84 of the 87 defendants for their roles in the unrest, with most receiving suspended prison sentences. Two were acquitted, while charges against one woman were downgraded from rioting to resisting police, resulting in a restricted freedom sentence.

The regional court is reviewing 67 appeals, the majority filed by the convicted individuals. Prosecutors have challenged one acquittal and sought harsher penalties for several defendants.

Among the most severe sentences, Antanas Kandrotas, known by the alias Celofanas, received a four-year prison term, while protest activist Andrejus Lobovas was given a two-year suspended sentence. Both were classified as repeat offenders. Astra Astrauskaitė, a teacher who organised the protest that escalated into riots, was handed a two-year and two-month suspended sentence. Arnoldas Misiūnas, a mixed martial arts fighter, received a one-year and 11-month suspended term.

Most defendants were also ordered to pay fines totalling approximately €142,000 into the Crime Victims Compensation Fund, alongside over €112,000 in civil damages awarded to victims. Twenty-seven individuals, including 23 police and public security officers, were recognised as victims in the case.

The riots erupted on the evening of 10 August 2021 outside the Seimas building in Vilnius, following a protest against government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions for unvaccinated and untested individuals.