Belittling Lithuania's membership in NATO, praising the policies of the USSR, and inflaming tensions between Lithuanians. It's not the full list of crimes that can get you listed on the website "Vatnikas", the Lithuanian version of the Ukrainian website "Mirotvorets", which posts information on dissidents.
By the way, their Ukrainian "colleagues" have welcomed the Lithuanians and promised to share their experiences of capturing the destructive vatnik (pro-Russian) element.
Vatnikas has been active for two days and has already exposed 150 culprits. It gathers its data through denunciations. Here you have the blacklist in an alphabetical order. It has photos and links to social network profiles. Here, we have politicians and ordinary citizens that publicly criticized the officially Russophobic Vilnius.
Zinaida Kurbatova with the details.
- Good evening, Zinaida.
- Greetings.
- Who needs these vatnik lists?
- As I see it, all government bodies are gathering these lists both the police and even the prosecutor’s office. The Vatnikas lists include Lithuanians and Russians alike. They have been living in Lithuania all their lives, they want it to prosper and to obey the Constitution. They don't want to leave. But if the precedent continues then who knows how things might turn out?
For example, Vilmantas Povilaitis had his business destroyed by force. He even had to flee to Ireland prosecuted for his views.
Vilmantas Povilaitis, businessman, blogger: "You know, they don't like it when you say the truth in Lithuania. If you say the truth you instantly become a vatnik or a dissident or some kind of Kremlin agent".
Lithuania loved, and loves to talk about how unpleasant the Soviet Union was. They claim it was an awful totalitarian regime. But apparently, Lithuania borrowed an important component of its horrible past — a fight against dissidence and started increasing pressure. People think dangerous thoughts and read dangerous books — one dissident had a book by Lenin confiscated during the search. They also take part in peaceful protests and write leaflets.
Giedrius Grabauskas, leader of the People's Socialist Front: "We've been prosecuted for three years. A political persecution. Just because we were spreading peaceful leaflets against the Euro and against NATO membership They found five leaflets searching my apartment and now, we'll get our verdict on February 26. There are three of us."
His lawyer believes it's political persecution. His defendant didn't violate any laws. Only dissidence — a protest against military bases that are prohibited by the Lithuanian Constitution and against the statues of the Nazi criminals. Jonas Zemaitis-Vytautas actively took part in the Holocaust in Lithuania and Belarus. Now he's getting a monument. By the way, antisemitism is raising its head in Lithuania.
Giedrius Grabauskas: "On December 13, there was an open antisemitic event. People had flags with swastikas, different banners and were shouting: "Jews, get out!"
Vyacheslav Titov has been a member of the Klaipeda city council for 11 years. He supports the Russian population of the city and condemns fascism. On January 8, there was a peaceful event in front of the Prosecutor’s Office.
Vyacheslav Titov, member of city council: "The event was organized by the prisoners of fascist concentration camps to protect those three guys that are being prosecuted in Lithuania for approaching the US embassy and protesting against the NATO troops in the country".
Ways of exercising pressure on the dissidents: the destruction of business, fabricated charges. They might soon put them into straitjackets. They're already exercising psychological pressure. Vaidas Lekstutis used to publish an independent newspaper. It was so popular that the authorities decided to shut it down. The police forced the young director to quit.
Vaidas Lekstutis, blogger: “They took our young director Martinas Burkauskas. He was just a young boy. He was our director and we were publishing a newspaper. They summoned him to the precinct and told him that if he didn't say this and that they were going to blame him for everything and put him behind bars to rot".
Martinas Burkauskas exposed the blackmailers during the trial — we have the recording. It's interesting how the Western media and human rights activists ignored this case.
Zinaida Kurbatova with a report on the blacklists.
