Journalists and cultural workers in Lithuania have begun a three-day protest outside the parliament, the Seimas, against legislation that would facilitate dismissing the director of the country’s public broadcaster, Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), BNS reports. Also, inflatable “air dancer” dolls were set up outside the office of President Gitanas Nauseda, urging him to veto the amendments, ELTA reports. Meanwhile, opposition MPs will boycott parliamentary sessions as the ruling coalition deliberates the amendments in a fast-track procedure, ELTA reports. Moreover, the opposition plans to present a motion of no-confidence against Seimas speaker Juozas Olekas for violations of parliamentary rules, ELTA reported.
At the same time, around two thirds of LRT staff expressed no-confidence in LRT’s supervisory council and called for its resignation in corpore, BNS reported. The employees argued that the proposed amendments could potentially violate the European Media Freedom Act. They accused LRT council chairman Mindaugas Jurkynas of supporting the amendments despite the council’s legal duty to protect LRT from political influence and to safeguard the company’s editorial independence. Monika Garbaciauskaite-Budriene, director general of LRT, accused the majority at LRT’s council of trying to take control of the public broadcaster. The council then asked Garbaciauskaite-Budriene to clarify how she viewed her future role at LRT.