Lithuania: expression restained: LGBT media in a hostile environment
ENIn the period between 2012 and 2018 the Lithuanian authorities did not seek to comprehensively address the tendencies of social, legal and institutional discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and (or) gender identity. On the contrary, certain aspects indicate that respect for human rights of LGBT people in Lithuania is deteriorating. First of all, the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information has been applied on three different occasions with the view of censoring LGBT related public information. The Lithuanian authorities claim that this discriminatory interference with the right to freedom of expression is necessary to protect the “emotional, spiritual, psychological development and health of the minors”, thus creating a chilling effect on talking publicly about LGBT issues in the Lithuanian society. Secondly, Lithuanian remains one of a few jurisdictions in the European Union without any legal recognition of same-sex relationships. The Lithuanian Parliament has not only dismissed a bill on introducing gender-neutral registered partnerships, but now is considering a legislative motion on “cohabitation agreements” which would strip same-sex couples of the family status all together. The Article 38 of the Constitution explicitly states that “[m]arriage shall be concluded upon the free mutual consent of man and woman”, while the Article 3.339 of the Civil Code foresees a separate law that should lay down the procedure for registering a partnership between a man and a woman. Despite the fact that the Civil Code was adopted in 2000, the law on registered partnerships (for different-sex couples) has never been adopted.
