Lithuanian parliamentary committee rejects candidate for genocide research centre director

A Lithuanian parliamentary committee has voted against approving Donata Kabelkė as director-general of the Lithuanian Genocide and Resistance Research Centre (LGGRTC), following questions over her plans for the institution’s role in countering information warfare and preserving historical memory.

The Seimas Commission on Freedom Struggles and Historical Memory of the State (LKVIAK) rejected Kabelkė’s candidacy in a vote on Saturday, with two lawmakers in favour, five abstaining, and one opposed, LRT reports. The nomination will now proceed to the Seimas Human Rights Committee for further consideration on Tuesday.

During the hearing, Kabelkė faced questions about how the LGGRTC should position itself on issues tied to information warfare, particularly those concerning Lithuania’s 20th-century resistance movements. Vytautas Sinica, a member of the Mixed Group of Seimas Members, asked whether the centre should take clear public stances on such matters.

Kabelkė responded that her priority would be to strengthen public engagement with the centre’s work, emphasising education on Lithuania’s freedom struggles. “Our goal is to explain, tell, and disseminate this history as widely as possible,” she said. “When I speak of dialogue, I mean engaging individuals who played a role in that history.”

She stressed that Lithuania’s identity is “closely linked to its freedom struggles” and that her aim would be to “reinforce this identity through greater public awareness” of the totalitarian era, rather than rewrite or undermine it.

A key focus, she added, would be improving access to the LGGRTC’s archives for researchers and the public, including through digitisation. “One of my main tasks as director would be establishing a data centre and maximising the digitisation, processing, and publication of archival materials,” Kabelkė said. She noted that digitisation would also serve as a safeguard against potential threats from “hostile neighbours,” ensuring data preservation in extreme scenarios.

When pressed to name her top priority if appointed, Kabelkė highlighted the systematic search for the remains of partisan fighters. “I see this as the most important priority,” she told the committee. “We owe a debt to those who fought for freedom—we must at least count how many there were and identify where they may be buried.”

Kabelkė’s candidacy was formally submitted to the Seimas last week by parliamentary speaker Juozas Olekas, who described her as having a “clear vision” for the LGGRTC and sufficient professional experience. However, Olekas acknowledged that opinions on her nomination remained divided among lawmakers, with plans for further consultations with political factions.

The LGGRTC’s governing board nominated Kabelkė in late April, selecting her over two other candidates: incumbent director Arūnas Bubnys and Dovilė Lauraitienė, head of the centre’s Tuskulėnai Peace Park memorial complex. Board chairman Arūnas Streikus stated that Kabelkė’s proposal for innovative expansion of the centre’s activities had secured majority support.