Lithuanian watchdog probes alleged national hatred in Polish weekly

Following an appeal from LRT Radio, Lithuania’s Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics has opened an investigation into possible disinformation and incitement of national hatred in the Polish-language weekly Tygodnik Wilenszczyzny, LRT reported Wednesday.

The publication, which is issued in Lithuania, reportedly states that in 1920 General Lucjan Żeligowski “liberated Vilnius from the hands of the Lithuanians.”

“When we receive a report that there may be signs of a violation related to disinformation or hate speech, the office begins an investigation on its own initiative. We assess its scope and whether it falls within the limits of opinion or complies with the law,” journalist ethics inspector Dainius Radzevičius told LRT Radio.

“If violations are established, we usually require the content to be removed. Hate speech may also raise the issue of criminal prosecution, but that is decided by the prosecutor’s office and law enforcement institutions,” he added.

In October 1920, just days after the Suwałki Agreement assigned Vilnius to Lithuania, Żeligowski’s forces occupied the city. Poland’s government initially portrayed the action as a mutiny, but Józef Piłsudski, the leader of interwar Poland, later acknowledged that it had been coordinated.

After losing Vilnius, its historic capital, Lithuania refused to establish diplomatic relations with Poland for almost the entire interwar period.