The Lithuanian government’s ban on indoor gatherings of more than two families or households and more than five persons during the Covid-19 lockdown did not go against the constitution, the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday.
In its ruling, the court say that legislators may adopt laws that restrict the rights of movement when the country is facing an extraordinary situation and that such measures may be further specified in secondary legislation.
“Under the Constitution, [...] measures laid down by the legislator in a law to control communicable diseases in humans may be further elaborated in subordinate legislation, specifying, inter alia, the scope and duration of the application of the specific measures chosen,” it said.
The Lithuanian government imposed the restrictions on social gatherings on May 19, 2021.
The decree was challenged in three individual constitutional complaints filed by women who had been issued administrative warnings by the courts for violating the rules.
The petitioners claim that the rules violated their constitutional right to freedom of movement, which cannot be restricted except by law, under the constitution.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
