With Russia continuing its aggression against Ukraine, the Lithuanian parliament (Seimas) has extended the state of emergency in the country until June 29, reports LRT.lt. The state of emergency was extended on April 23 in a vote of 124 MPs in favour and 6 abstentions. This legal regime is still necessary as “Russia’s brutal military aggression” in Ukraine continues, according to the Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen.
“Russia’s state terrorism and continuing violations of international humanitarian law committed by that country further deepen the humanitarian crisis and the crisis of refugees from Ukraine,” she said. “Meanwhile, aggressive policies pursued by Russia and Belarus with respect to their own citizens have heightened the probability of emigration from these countries,” Čmilytė-Nielsen added.
Following the extension, the state of emergency will exclude an earlier ban on taking pictures, filming, otherwise recording and collecting information about enterprises of national security significance in the energy sector, as well as the movement of military equipment of the Lithuanian armed forces and its allies.
The ban on rebroadcasting or disseminating online any radio or TV programs of entities established, owned, controlled, or financed by Russia and Belarus will remain in place.
The assemblies “aimed at supporting, in any form or scope, the actions of the Russian Federation and/or the Republic of Belarus, which caused the introduction of the state of emergency”, will also remain prohibited.
The state of emergency in Lithuania was declared on February 24 through March 10 after Russia invaded Ukraine, and later extended until April 21. LRT.lt
