The Lithuanian parliament stripped MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemunas Dawn party, of his legal immunity, allowing the court to continue hearing his criminal case for inciting hatred against Jews.
The motion passed with 101 votes in favour and none against or abstaining. Under the Seimas Statute, at least 71 out of 141 MPs must approve the decision to allow a lawmaker to face criminal charges.
Žemaitaitis says that although he agreed to a simplified procedure for the lifting of his immunity, he rejects the charges brought against him by prosecutors.
Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė asked the parliament to strip Žemaitaitis of his legal immunity so that the Vilnius Regional Court could continue its proceedings in a criminal case in which the MP is accused of anti-Semitism.
The Seimas of the previous parliamentary term had already lifted Žemaitaitis’ immunity in this case, but he regained it after being sworn in again.
Under the constitution, a member of the Seimas cannot be prosecuted or have their liberty restricted without the parliament’s consent.
The Nemunas Dawn leader is charged with committing two continuous criminal offences. The case includes eight episodes of incitement to hatred and three episodes of Holocaust denial.
According to the prosecutor general, the MP’s Facebook posts about Jews and his statements in the Seimas on the subject should be regarded as promoting the idea of normalising antisemitism, publicly ridiculing, expressing contempt for, and inciting hatred against a group of people based on their ethnicity, as well as expressing anti-Semitic ideas.
The case files also show that Žemaitaitis spread false information about Jewish people and their involvement in deporting Lithuanian citizens.
The inclusion of the Nemunas Dawn party in the new ruling coalition in Lithuania has provoked protests and criticism from abroad due to Žemaitaitis’ anti-Semitic statements.
