The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has adopted changes to the law governing the country’s public broadcaster, Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), LRT reports. The approved amendments are softer than the initial proposals, which sparked mass protests across the country and invited criticism from several media organisations both in Lithuania and abroad. However, LRT’s director general, Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene, argued that the changes would still weaken LRT’s institutional independence and “over-bureaucratise” its management. She urged opponents of the law to appeal to the Constitutional Court. International press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also warned that the legislative changes failed to protect LRT properly from political interference.
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