Human Rights Monitoring Institute

HRMI Executive Director announced the annual Human Rights Shame League which exposes the acts/statements by politicians, public officials and public institutions that were the most harmful to the development of culture respectful of human rights.  
 
Every year, in commemoration of the International Human Rights Day HRMI announces this list with the aiml to spotlight the most notorious human rights blabbers of the year with a smile, but still wishing to alert Lithuanian politicians and government officials to their mistakes and indiscretions.

Members of Human Rights League of Shame 2007:

• Juozas Imbrasas, Vilnius City Mayor, for the unconventional interpretation of the principle of equal opportunities.
Here are few of the most “brilliant” pieces:
With regard to the municipal officer who has been indicted with charges of bribery Mayor said: “The most resentful thing for me is that being a young, handsome, energetic man, he ..... took paternity leave. Well, everyone’s whispering round the corner, laughing at that paternity leave.” 

Regarding public actions by homosexuals he said: “gay parades are possible indoors”.

Answering the question by a TV journalist about person’s sexual orientation he called it a “hobby”.

• Rolandas Paksas, Member of Vilnius City Council, for the "disclosure of the plot by the so-called “statesmen”. Mr. Paksas declared that the gay question is being escalated by “statesmen.” Politics can be made out of anything, indeed.

• Laima Lavaste, Journalist of the daily “Lietuvos rytas”, for delivering “justice” in a case.
During the pre-trial period Lavaste repeatedly called the suspect Alma Jonaitiene a "child-murderess" in her articles about the family tragedy in which a mother was suspected in murdering two out of her five children.
Even after the Commission on Journalists' and Publishers' Ethics had recognized her article as violating presumption of innocence, Lavaste continued to name the suspect “child-murderer”. Violation of the presumption of innocence was also identified by the Journalist Ethics Inspector. Nevertheless the editorial desk of the daily “Lietuvos rytas” ignores decisions and orders (to publish  the mentioned decision by the Commission) of competent institutions.

• Remigijus Simasius, President of the Free Market Institute, for the “professional” interpretation of the concept of discrimination.
In the article “The end of the tether is coming in the shape of equality” he superficially and erroneously interpreted the principle of equality and prohibition of discrimination. Strive for equality and prohibition of discrimination he identified as a downhill ride of a society that "lost its common sense and wits", thus discrediting the basic human rights principles.

• A group of Parliament Members (Rima Baškienė, Irena Degutienė, Etela Karpickienė, Vincė Vaidevutė Margevičienė, Rimantas Jonas Dagys ir Andrius Kubilius) for the nurture of equality through discrimination.
MPs identified the married couple with children as the only “rightful” form of family, and consequently suggested providing exclusively these families with state benefits and advantages.  

• Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, for establishing the tradition of disrespect to the decisions by the European Court of Human Rights.
In 2004, in the case of Sidabras and Dziautas vs. Lithuania European Court of Human Rights recognized the Sate in violation of  the European Convention of Human Rights as the so-called Lustration Law forbids employment of former KGB officers in private sector. However, threee years later the violation has not been remedied.

Furthermore, after the recent judgment by ECHR in the case L vs. Lithuania wherein the Court obliged the state of Lithuania to pass a particular law on gender-reassignment, certain MPs expressed clear disrespect for the Court, questioning the decision and obligation to implement it.

• Department of Police under the Ministry of Interior for the “deeds” of the “guardian angels” on the Lithuanian roads.
Police officers are supposed to ensure safety of Lithuanian people in the motorways. However, events of 2007 seem to prove that Lithuanian people should keep away specifically from the “guardian angels” as they repeatedly proved being a serious threat to public safety.