The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday stripped MP Petras Gražulis of his legal immunity so that he can be investigated over suspected hate speech towards LGBTQ+ people.
Eighty-three MPs voted in favour of the resolution allowing law-enforcement bodies to prosecute, arrest or otherwise restricting Gražulis’ freedom.
There were no votes against or abstentions. Most members of the opposition were absent from the vote, citing “political undertones” of the investigation.
Several weeks ago, Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė asked the parliament to lift the MP’s immunity, saying that prosecutors want to bring formal suspicions of publicly ridiculing and expressing contempt for a group of persons on grounds of their sexual orientation.
Prosecutors opened their pre-trial investigation in May 2022 following Gražulis’ public remarks about members of the LGBTQ+ community.
On May 26, 2022, Gražulis told a group of LGBTQ+ activists that they were “degenerates” spreading STDs and suggested that they should seek treatment. The incident took place in a parliament corridor shortly after a civil union bill passed its first reading.
The Criminal Code reads that “a person who publicly ridicules, expresses contempt for, urges hatred of or incites discrimination against a group of persons or a person belonging thereto on grounds of age, sex, sexual orientation, disability, race, skin colour, nationality, language, descent, ethnic origin, social status, religion, convictions, or views shall be punished by a fine or by restriction of liberty or by arrest or by a custodial sentence for a term of up to two years”.
Under the constitution, a MP “may not be held criminally liable or be detained, or have their liberty restricted otherwise, without the consent of the Seimas [parliament]”.
This is the second time in this parliamentary term that the prosecutor general has asked the parliament to strip Gražulis of his legal immunity.
His legal immunity was waived in December 2022 to allow bringing formal suspicions against him in a case involving the Kaunas-based frozen food company Judex. Gražulis was found to have abused his office by intervening to help the company to solve its problems in Russia. He was fined 15,000 euros.
The parliament has also launched impeachment proceedings against Gražulis for casting a vote in the name of another MP.
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