The bill, called the “Law on the Protection of Minors against the
Detrimental Effect of Public Information,” was overwhelmingly passed by the
Lithuanian parliament on June 16. Other information that would be banned by the
law includes the portrayal of physical or psychological violence, the display
of a dead or cruelly mutilated body, and information that arouses fear or
horror, or encourages self-mutilation or suicide.
Lithuania, a
member of the European Union, received criticism for the bill because it
contradicts a joint statement the country signed at the UN General Assembly in
December 2008. The join statement reaffirmed that human rights apply equally to
every human being regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
President
Adamkus’s veto can be reversed by the Lithuanian Parliament but only with an
absolute majority.