Lithuanian ethics bodies receive no complaints over recording device left at political meeting

Lithuania’s media ethics oversight institutions have not received any complaints regarding a recording device found during a meeting of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), the ELTA news agency reported on Saturday.

The Visuomenės informavimo etikos asociacija (Public Information Ethics Association, VIEA) and the Žurnalistų etikos inspektoriaus tarnyba (Journalists’ Ethics Inspectorate Service, ŽEIT) both confirmed they had not been contacted over the incident, which prompted a pre-trial investigation by police.

Earlier this week, LSDP leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius suggested the device—a pen with audio recording capabilities—may have been left by a journalist from Lietuvos nacionalinis radijas ir televizija (LRT), the national broadcaster. Party representatives later named Eglė Samoškaitė, an LRT journalist, as the suspected individual. Samoškaitė has denied the allegations.

Vilnius District Police launched a pre-trial investigation on April 25 under Article 295 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits the unauthorised use of technical means to gather information. No formal suspicions have been raised against any individual.

The device was discovered on April 17 in a hotel in Vilnius District, where the LSDP council was holding a meeting. The party filed a report with police the following day, alleging potential illegal surveillance. Samoškaitė has since announced she will pause her membership in the Žurnalistų profesionalų asociacija (Journalists’ Professional Association) and step back from LRT’s protest initiative group while the investigation continues. She will also avoid covering topics related to the LSDP during this period.