Employees of the Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT – the equivalent of Latvia’s LSM – journalists and representatives of other media outlets gathered in Vilnius today to protest against government plans that they say would negatively influence the media’s work and press freedom.
Last week, a protest also took place on the air of LRT broadcasts – the presenters observed moments of silence and explained how the government’s decisions and plans could affect not only the public broadcaster, but also the future of the wider media environment in Lithuania.
On Tuesday a crowd of people gathered in front of the Seimas (parliament) building on Independence Square. The protest was held under the slogan “Hands off freedom of speech and independent media!”
The main reason for the disagreements is considered to be the targeting of the Lithuanian public broadcaster by the right-wing populist party “Nemunas rytausma” (Nemunas dawn), which is part of the ruling coalition. At the end of November, in a vote in the Seimas, it achieved a three-year budget freeze for the LRT, and a reduction starting in 2029.
Namunas dawn politicians have also called for easing the process of dismissing the LRT director general. Media representatives and journalists warn that this is part of politicians’ efforts to influence not only the work of public media, but also its content.
A petition against politicians’ attempts to weaken LRT was also created last week . It has been signed by more than 130,000 Lithuanians so far.
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