Prosecutors end inquiry into alleged violence against Andrijauskas

Lithuanian prosecutors have discontinued a pre-trial investigation into possible violence against political scientist Konstantinas Andrijauskas, finding no criminal offence, LRT reported.

Prosecutor Mantas Januškevičius, who supervised the investigation, told ELTA it was closed on July 17. Investigators found no evidence that Andrijauskas had suffered physical pain or a minor health impairment, or that his freedom had been unlawfully restricted.

The investigation began after Andrijauskas filed a complaint. Prosecutors concluded that the civilians who detained him in Vilnius in March, before police arrived, had not committed a crime and had acted lawfully.

The decision to close the investigation was appealed to a senior prosecutor and then to a pre-trial judge; both rejected the appeals. It can still be challenged in a regional court, but no such appeal has been filed, Januškevičius said.

A separate pre-trial investigation into Andrijauskas’s conduct during the incident is continuing and is nearing its final stage. It concerns a suspected breach of public order. Andrijauskas has been notified of the suspicion and is subject to a written undertaking not to leave. One person, born in 1986, has been recognised as a victim in the case.

Prosecutor Gaudentas Balčiūnas said the investigation had taken longer than expected, partly because authorities had to consider requests from the parties. A final decision on whether the case will go to court has not been made.

The incident took place in Vilnius on March 11. Police said a man tore down a poster bearing the words “Lithuania for Lithuanians” from a bridge on Mikalojus Čiurlionis Street and then became involved in a confrontation with its owner, whom he may have struck. Andrijauskas later acknowledged tearing the poster but denied using violence.

Raimondas Šimaitis, head of the Family, Nation, State association, also claimed on social media that Andrijauskas pushed minors and assaulted a person who was taken to hospital. Those claims were reported as allegations.