QUALIFICATION OF INCITEMENT TO HATRED IN INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL PRACTICE Cover Image

NEAPYKANTOS KURSTYMO KVALIFIKAVIMAS TARPTAUTINĖJE IR NACIONALINĖJE PRAKTIKOJE
QUALIFICATION OF INCITEMENT TO HATRED IN INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL PRACTICE

Author(s): Klaudija Kačerginaitė, Laurynas Biekša
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence
Published by: Mykolas Romeris University
Keywords: incitement to hatred; signs of incitement to hatred; equality of persons; the duty of the state to protect individuals from incitement to hatred; limits on freedom of expression

Summary/Abstract: Although the ECHR has repeatedly emphasized the importance of freedom of self-expression in a democratic society, this must be compatible with the right of individuals to be protected from incitement to hatred. Finding a balance between these two very important aspects of protecting human rights is often challenging in Lithuanian court practice. In many cases, Lithuanian court practice interprets statements that incite hatred as unethical expressions of opinion or as insufficiently dangerous to be regarded as criminal, resulting in the authors of these statements remaining unpunished. There- fore, the purpose of this article is to assess Lithuanian court practice; namely, the compliance of the assessment of the risk level of the characteristics of the criminal activity of incitement to hatred – such as the content of statements (or other forms) – with the characteristics and risk level based on the criteria developed in international court practice.

  • Issue Year: 28/2021
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 405-429
  • Page Count: 25
  • Language: Lithuanian