Vilnius authorities are putting a black cloth over a Soviet-era Red Army monument in Antakalnis Cemetery as plans to dismantle it have been delayed by an injunction from the UN Human Rights Committee.
Vilnius Council has previously unanimously voted to remove the six grey granite statues depicting Soviet soldiers from World War Two.
Read more: Vilnius postpones removal of Soviet monument as UN human rights committee intervenes
Last week, the Vilnius authorities took the final step by taking them into the city’s ownership. However, plans to finish the dismantling works by November 1 were frustrated after the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee received a complaint and imposed temporary measures.
The complainants said that the Vilnius authorities’ decision to dismantle the Soviet-era sculptures violated the rights of Lithuania’s ethnic minorities and their right to respect for private and family life.
The Justice Ministry has sent explanations to the Committee. The municipality has decided to cover the statues until the matter is resolved. Mayor Remigijus Šimašius has claimed that this is done both to “not annoy people” and to protect the monument from vandalism, as there have been at least a couple of recent incidents where the statues have been defaced.
In Lithuania, some Soviet monuments are being dismantled in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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