{"id":80,"area":"Europe","region_name":"Lithuania","iso_2":"LT","region_sub":null,"legal_code_title":"Code of Administrative Violations of Law","legal_code_title_citation_1":"Text of the law is available at: https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.817CC58C1A54/TAIS_410367","legal_code_title_citation_2":null,"legal_code_body":"In January 2014, the Lithuanian Parliament introduced amendments to the Code of Administrative Violations of Law (at Section 214 and elsewhere) penalising activities or publication that violate so-called constitutionally-established family values. These amendments were enacted in the context of the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information that came into effect in March 2010.","legal_code_body_citation_1":null,"legal_code_body_citation_2":null,"legal_code_body_citation_3":null,"legal_code_body_citation_4":null,"legal_code_ilga_comments":null,"legal_code_ilga_comments_citation_1":null,"legal_code_ilga_comments_citation_2":null,"legal_code_ilga_comments_citation_3":null,"legal_code_ilga_comments_citation_4":null,"legal_code_ilga_comments_citation_5":null,"legal_code_ilga_comments_citation_6":null,"legal_code_scruff_comments":"LGBTI Travelers: The LGBTI community is protected by anti-discrimination laws. However, members of the LGBTI community have experienced verbal and sometimes physical harassment.","prison_term_min_length":null,"prison_term_max_length":null,"prison_term_notes":null,"prison_term_not_specified":null,"prison_term_years":null,"prison_term_life":null,"prison_term_mandatory":null,"fine_min_amount":null,"fine_max_amount":null,"fine_currency":null,"fine_notes":null,"fine_not_specified":null,"fine_amount":null,"fine_mandatory":null,"penalty_death":null,"penalty_death_notes":null,"penalty_corporal_punishment":null,"penalty_corporal_punishment_notes":null,"penalty_hard_labor":null,"penalty_hard_labor_notes":null,"penalty_banishment":null,"legal_code_explicitly_references_same_sex_acts":null,"legal_code_explicitly_references_acts_against_nature":null,"legal_code_differentiates_anal_sex_from_other_acts":null,"legal_code_indicates_hiv_as_aggravating_factor":null,"legal_code_indicates_age_of_consent_homosexual_acts_over_18":null,"existing_laws_used_to_target_gays_but_not_anti_gay":null,"islamic_sharia_law":null,"islamic_sharia_law_notes":null,"laws_subregional_variance_or_contradiction":null,"laws_subregional_variance_or_contradiction_notes":null,"laws_not_specifically_homophobic":null,"laws_status_unclear":null,"laws_status_unclear_notes":null,"persecution_non_state_agents":null,"criminalization_under_consideration":null,"recently_decriminalized":null,"propaganda_law_under_consideration":null,"propaganda_law_title":"Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information  No IX-1067)","propaganda_law_title_citation_1":null,"propaganda_law_body":"Article 4.  Public Information which Has a Detrimental Effect on the Development of Minors\n1. Public information which has a detrimental effect on minors shall be considered such information which may be detrimental to the mental or physical health of minors, their physical, intellectual, mental or moral development.\n2. The following public information shall be attributed to information which has a detrimental effect on minors:\n1) of a violent nature, which encourages aggressiveness and disrespect for life;\n2) which encourages the destruction or damage of property;\n3) which shows close-ups of the body of a deceased, dying or cruelly mutilated person, except when such a showing is necessary for establishing the identity of the person;\n4) of an erotic nature;\n5) which invokes fear or horror;\n6) which promotes gambling, encourages or offers to take part in gambling and other games which create an impression of an easy gain;\n7) in which dependence on narcotic, toxic, psychotropic substances, tobacco or alcohol as well as other substances which are used or may be used for intoxication purposes are positively assessed and the use, production, distribution or acquisition thereof is promoted;\n8) which promotes self-mutilation or suicide, specifies suicide measures and  circumstances;\n9) in which criminal acts are positively assessed or criminals are idealised;\n10) which relates to the imitation of criminal acts;\n11) which promotes behaviour degrading human dignity;\n12) in which a person or a group of persons are ridiculed or humiliated on grounds of nationality, race, sex, origin, disability, sexual orientation, social status, language, religion, beliefs, views or on other similar grounds;\n13) which demonstrates staged paranormal phenomena creating an impression that these phenomena are real;                     \n14) which promotes sexual abuse and exploitation of minors, sexual relations between minors; \n15) which promotes sexual relations;\n16) which expresses contempt for family values, encourages the concept of entry into a marriage and creation of a family other than stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania;\n17) in which obscene sayings, words or gestures are used;\n18) which advises on how to manufacture, acquire or use explosives, narcotic or psychotropic substances as well as other items dangerous to life or health;\n19) which promotes bad eating and hygiene habits and lack of physical exercise;\n20) which shows mass hypnosis sessions in which the influenced object is the audience of a mass medium;\n21) which is defined in Article 6 of this Law.\n3. Dissemination of information which has a detrimental effect on minors shall be prohibited or restricted in accordance with the procedure set forth by this Law.\n4. It shall be prohibited to disseminate information which corresponds to subparagraph 12 of paragraph 2 of this Article and public information, especially of a pornographic nature, which is prohibited by other laws, as well as information which promotes sexual abuse and exploitation of minors and/or presents gratuitous violence. ‡","propaganda_law_body_citation_1":"‡ Draft version is available in English at: http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.showdoc_l?p_id=36313","propaganda_law_ilga_comments":"The European Court of Human Rights ruled against this law in Macate v. Lithuania (Application No. 61435/19, Jan. 2023). The Lithuanian government's own bill to repeal the 'propagation of same-sex relations' language (Bill No. XIVP-3270) was rejected by the Seimas in Nov. 2023; the government subsequently referred the law to the Constitutional Court (review began Feb. 2024, pending as of report cutoff).","legal_developments_2023_2024_summary":"In Macate v. Lithuania (Jan. 2023), the European Court of Human Rights found that Lithuania's restriction on minors' access to information about same-sex relationships (Law No. XI-594, 2009, amending the Law on the Protection of Minors) breached the right to freedom of expression. In response, Lithuania's government proposed a repeal bill (Bill No. XIVP-3270, Oct. 2023), but the Seimas (parliament) rejected it in November 2023. The government then referred the law to the Constitutional Court, which began reviewing it in February 2024 (outcome pending as of report cutoff).","legal_developments_2023_2024_citations":"ILGA World, Laws On Us: A Global Overview of Legal Progress and Backtracking on SOGIESC, 1st Ed. (Geneva, May 2024), p.89.","status_change_type":"Adverse ECtHR ruling against the existing law; government's own repeal attempt rejected by Parliament; law now under domestic constitutional review"}