European Foundation of Human Rights in defence of “Kurier Wileński”

On Friday, 14th October 2011, the legal representative of “Kurier Wileński”, lawyer Tadeusz Gudziński submitted a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights against Lithuania for the penalty imposed on the editorial office in regards to the publication of the paper of Krzysztof Buchowski, “How did Pole perceived Lithuanian during the Interwar Period”, delivered in November 2006 during the Polish-Lithuanian scientific conference.

After long-term legal proceedings at the domestic courts, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled on 14^th April 2011 that the Lithuanian Commission on Ethics of Journalists and Publishers had the right to find “Kurier Wileński” guilty of inducing national feuds as a result of the publication of the paper of the Polish scientist and that the penalty imposed was justified.

European Foundation of Human Rights regards this sentence as inconsistent with the international law ratified by Lithuania. In the light of the past jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights, there is a strong rationale to consider that the decision of the Commission, supported further by the Lithuanian courts, is contradictory to the Art. 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights that guarantees freedom of speech.

European Foundation of Human Rights would like to kindly thank dr Ireneusz C. Kamiński for his support in the preparation of the complaint.

„Kurier Wileński“ has been encompassed by the programme of the Centre for Law Support of the European Foundation of Human Rights. 

http://kurierwilenski.lt/2011/10/14/europejska-fundacja-praw-czlowieka-w-obronie-%E2%80%9Ekuriera-wilenskiego%E2%80%9D/

Tlumaczenie: Małgorzata Juchniewicz, w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Czlowieka, www.efhr.eu Translation by Małgorzata Juchniewicz, as part of vocational training in The European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu