Lithuanian MP found in repeated breach of ethics code over public attacks on national broadcaster

The Lithuanian parliament’s Ethics and Procedures Commission has ruled that MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis violated the Political Conduct Code by repeatedly posting derogatory statements about the national broadcaster LRT on Facebook, state news agency ELTA reports.

The commission found that Žemaitaitis, leader of the opposition party “Nemuno aušra” (Dawn of Nemunas), published over 50 posts in 2025 targeting LRT with offensive terms such as “fondasosas” (a play on “foundation” and a vulgar term) and “chatūrščikas” (a derogatory label). Five commission members voted in favor of the decision.

In its Wednesday ruling, the commission stated that Žemaitaitis “systematically posted degrading and belittling content about LRT on Facebook,” violating the code’s requirement to uphold respect for individuals and the state. While acknowledging lawmakers’ right to criticize institutions, it emphasized that such criticism must comply with ethical standards.

The MP defended his remarks as part of a democratic debate on LRT’s operations, funding, and political neutrality, denying any coordinated effort to discredit the broadcaster. The commission urged him to avoid offensive language in future statements and align his conduct with parliamentary ethics rules.

Separately, the commission referred a complaint to Lithuania’s State Data Protection Inspectorate after Žemaitaitis publicly disclosed a private individual’s name, surname, and phone number without consent in December 2025.

This marks the second ethics violation for Žemaitaitis over LRT-related statements this year. In late February, he was reprimanded for falsely claiming that a state audit had uncovered no serious violations at the broadcaster.