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Bagdonas, Ąžuolas
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Gay parade ban violates Lithuania's constitution
A court in Vilnius has issued a last-minute ban against the "Baltic Pride" gay parade planned for May 8, citing security concerns. The news portal Delfi is appalled: "This conduct is absolutely unacceptable and even violates the constitution. The mere possibility that there could be outbursts of hatred should not lead to the curtailing of the right to peaceful assembly. Otherwise you could accuse any demonstration of provoking hate and violence. If the Lithuanian state managed to ensure the security of US president George W. Bush during his visit it can do the same for its citizens. This task is hardly more complicated, but certainly just as important. And even those who don't accept homosexuals' way of life must allow them to demonstrate. It's not about the propagation of homosexuality but about the state remaining neutral regarding different sets of values."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Weltanschauung, » Lithuania
Azuolas Bagdonas on the definition of genocide in Lithuania
In Lithuania the Soviet occupation is often referred to as "genocide" owing to the deportation and murder of countless citizens that took place during this period. Writing for Delfi news portal, Azuolas Bagdonas asks whether the term is justified or whether this designation should be reserved for the Holocaust: "Whether we like it or not, all attempts to concretise legal terms and find the right designation are always influenced by politics, even if this is not always intended. Laws that ban the use of certain designations are not to be criticised because, for instance, they foster anti-Semitism in some mystical way, but because they clash with other political values, including that of freedom of expression."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » History, » Lithuania, » Russia
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