Appeal court reduces sentences for Kandrotas and Lobovas

Vilnius Regional Court has reduced the prison sentences of Antanas Kandrotas and Andrius Lobovas in a case involving incitement to hatred and public order violations, LRT reported on Friday.

The court overturned the verdict of Vilnius District Court in part and immediately issued a new ruling. Kandrotas was sentenced to eight months in prison, while Lobovas received a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and a fine of 3,766 euros.

The appeals court acquitted both men over incidents at Vilnius District Court in 2024, when they mocked then-member of parliament Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius over his sexual orientation during a hearing.

The panel said their conduct did not amount to incitement to hatred or a breach of public order. Judge Giedrė Telksnienė said the remarks, although contrary to public morality, had been made in the form of dialogue and humour and were not serious enough to incur criminal liability.

The court also found that public order had not been disrupted, noting that nobody had complained and the court’s work had continued. The conduct could instead be assessed under administrative law, the panel said.

However, the court upheld the finding that posts published by Kandrotas and Lobovas on social media constituted incitement to hatred. Appeals seeking their acquittal in the case had been rejected.

Kandrotas, also known by the nickname Celofanas, is hiding abroad to avoid a prison sentence imposed in another case. A European arrest warrant was issued for him at the end of June, and Lithuania’s Justice Ministry formally asked Belarus in early August to extradite him.

Prosecutors had alleged that Kandrotas and Lobovas publicly mocked Raskevičius and encouraged hatred and discrimination based on his sexual orientation during a court hearing on September 20, 2024. Prosecutors also said videos of Kandrotas’s later remarks were shared on Facebook, while Lobovas published posts mocking and denigrating LGBTIQ people and Raskevičius.