Erika Švenčiūnienė in Lithuania faces suspicion of downplaying Soviet crimes

Erika Švenčionienė, one of the founders of the liquidated “International Neighborhood Forum” in Lithuania, was charged on August 21, 2024, in connection with her publicly published post about the 1991 attack on the customs checkpoint in Miadininkai, Baltica portal reported.

The Prosecutor General's Office said the charge was brought under an article of the Criminal Code, which provides for liability for publicly endorsing, denying or grossly belittling international crimes, crimes of the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany.

The suspect was interrogated, searched, and a measure of restraint was imposed - a signature not to leave the country.

On July 31, Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė launched a pre-trial investigation into statements published on Facebook about a crime against humanity committed by the Riga Militia Special Forces Unit on July 31, 1991 - an attack on the Mädininkai border checkpoint, during which seven Lithuanian border guards were killed and one seriously wounded.

“The tragedy at Miadininkai is a dark consequence of the activities of the Lithuanian special services. Many facts indicated that the killers were from their own milieu. The truth is hidden, witnesses are silent,” - wrote E. Švenčienienė on her Facebook page.

Recall, in June 2024, the police of Kaunas district fined a woman 700 euros for posting an image of Bolshevik leader Lenin on Facebook. Having rejected the woman's complaint, the Kaunas County Court upheld the amount of the fine.

Švenčionienė is still under investigation in Vilnius District Court for possible assistance to another state in actions against Lithuania, as well as for publicly endorsing, denying or grossly belittling international and Soviet crimes.