Court in Lithuania convicts opposition politician Algirdas Paleckis for defaming the head of the Defense Ministry

A court in Lithuania has ruled on the case of opposition politician Algirdas Paleckis, who is imprisoned on charges of preparing to spy for Russia.

The court found Paleckis guilty of slandering Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas and sentenced him to three months in prison. The charge of slandering Lithuanian “partisans” was also dropped.

Taking into account the previous sentence for espionage, Paleckis will spend one year and eight months in prison. The politician has not pleaded guilty.

Paleckis was accused that in late September 2022, while imprisoned in Kaunas prison, he allegedly slandered the then Minister of Defense Laurynas Kasciunas, who at the time served as chairman of the National Security and Defense Committee.

The activist was charged under two articles: “Slander” (up to one year in prison) and “Public justification, denial or gross belittling of international crimes, crimes of the USSR or Nazi Germany” (up to two years in prison).

The sentence is not final and may be appealed to the Kaunas District Court.