The Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, has voted to fire the director of a state-run institution researching Nazi and Soviet crimes in the country.
A secret ballot was held on Thursday, in which 79 MPs voted to fire the director of the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania (LGGRTC) and four voted against the motion.
Read more: Politicisation fears stalk employees at Lithuania's genocide research centre
Adas Jakubauskas headed the institution since last summer, but has been accused by some of its employees of politicising historical research.
Meanwhile Jakubauskas maintains that he was removed due to political reasons.
“Simply put, a wrong person was in that position and the person needed to be changed. That was the problem,” he commented after Thursday's vote.
He said he was being punished “in advance” of having done anything wrong, since he had only been in the post for seven months.
According to the law, the LGGRTC director is appointed and dismissed by the Seimas. At least 71 MPs need to vote to dismiss the official.
Read more: Seimas asked to dismiss head of Lithuania's genocide research centre
The Board of the Seimas had proposed to dismiss Jakubauskas who was appointed last year. A working group set up by the board concluded that Jakubauskas had failed to ensure smooth functioning of the institution. He was also found responsible for polarisation within the centre which harmed its public image.
“A conflict situation between some staff members and director Adas Jakubauskas has developed at the centre due to the working environment, sharing information with employees and restrictions for staff to freely express their opinions and convictions,” Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen said while introducing the proposal to dismiss Jakubauskas.
“Universities and the Lithuanian Institute of History refuse to work with the centre [LGGRTC] because of the incumbent leadership whose activities are not in line with scholarly standards.”
Meanwhile, Jakubauskas rejected the accusations, saying that the reforms he started where what caused resistance among the centre's employees.
Seventeen staff members of the LGGRTC turned to the Seimas early this year due to the director's actions and tensions within the centre. Some organisations, however, have backed Jakubauskas.
The Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania investigates repressions, genocide, crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Soviet and Nazi regimes during Lithuania's occupation.
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