No leadership changes planned in Nemuno Aušra after court ruling against Žemaitaitis

Lithuania’s Nemuno Aušra party will not seek changes to its leadership following a court ruling that found its chairman, MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis, guilty of inciting hatred against Jews and grossly trivialising the Holocaust, party members told BNS on Thursday.

“Changes are usually initiated when something unexpected happens. We were not surprised by this case. Even before the parliamentary elections, we knew there would be this trial and that it would end unfavourably for Remigijus Žemaitaitis, so we see no need to rush into any changes,” said MP Robertas Puchovičius, a member of the party’s Seimas faction.

Puchovičius added that he does not believe the ruling will hinder Žemaitaitis’ ability to represent the party or its faction.

Fellow MPs Raimondas Šukys and Saulius Bucevičius argued that any decisions should wait for a final verdict from Lithuania’s Supreme Court. “I think we should wait for the Supreme Court’s decision and then address all the questions, as we have precedents with the current prime minister, who was convicted and later acquitted. So I wouldn’t want to make premature assessments,” Bucevičius said.

Šukys echoed this stance, stating that neither the faction nor the party would make any decisions until the final ruling. He also supported Žemaitaitis’ position that the case was politically motivated, citing other pre-trial investigations involving statements about ethnic Russians that prosecutors declined to pursue.

MP Tadas Sadauskis likewise saw no need for leadership changes, noting that voters were aware of Žemaitaitis’ legal troubles when they elected Nemuno Aušra. He acknowledged that Žemaitaitis might need to provide explanations when representing the party abroad, but said the issue does not arise during domestic meetings with voters.

“You know, we receive support, not questions. Probably, people already understand that arithmetic [about Jews]—many remember it from their childhood,” Sadauskis said.

The Nemuno Aušra faction in the Seimas currently has 18 members. Earlier this month, the ruling Lithuanian Social Democratic Party terminated its coalition agreement with the party.

On Tuesday, Lithuania’s Court of Appeals upheld Žemaitaitis’ conviction for inciting hatred against Jews and grossly trivialising the Holocaust, increasing his fine to €10,000. The court ruled that his statements about Jews had exceeded the limits of lawful self-expression, systematically and publicly mocking, humiliating, and inciting hatred against a group of people and its members based on their Jewish ethnicity. The decision is effective immediately but can still be appealed to the Supreme Court.

The criminal case stemmed from posts about Jews published on Facebook in May and June 2023, as well as public statements. Among other claims, Israel was referred to as “animals,” and Jews were accused of contributing to the destruction of the Lithuanian nation.