President appoints lawyer Liudvika Meskauskaite to LRT council

President Gitanas Nauseda has appointed lawyer Liudvika Meskauskaite to the council of LRT, Lithuania’s public broadcaster, LRT reported Monday.

Meskauskaite said she would seek to ensure that LRT provides a plurality of opinions, broadcasts cultural and discussion programmes, and fulfils the mission set out in law and Constitutional Court doctrine.

“The most important thing for LRT is a plurality of opinions, cultural programmes, discussion programmes, and fulfilling the mission of LRT,” she told BNS.

Meskauskaite said she had agreed to stand for the position because media law is one of her main professional fields. She has defended a doctoral dissertation and written three monographs in the area.

Meskauskaite is a lawyer, advocate and specialist in media, human rights, constitutional, civil and criminal law. She is also involved in the self-governance of the Lithuanian Bar Association, works as an associate professor at Vilnius University and Mykolas Romeris University, and is active in civic organisations.

In 2004, she received the Medal of the Order of the Grand Duke Gediminas from the president.

Meskauskaite replaces Giedrius Jucevičius, who resigned from the council in March. The president chose between two candidates; lawyer Vytis Turonis was also considered for the position.

Nauseda has also appointed the council’s current chairman, Mindaugas Jurkynas, deputy chair Rėda Brandišauskienė and Renata Mendeikienė.

The LRT council has 12 members. The president and the Seimas each appoint four members, while four others are appointed by the Research Council, the Lithuanian Art Creators Association, the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference and the Lithuanian Education Council. Council members serve six-year terms.