Request for the waiver of the immunity of Petras Gražulis

The European Parliament decided to waive the immunity of Petras Gražulis.

On 16 September 2024, the Prosecutor General of Lithuania requested the lifting of Petras Gražulis' immunity for an alleged offence related to publicly ridiculing a group of people and expressing contempt for them based on their sexual orientation. These facts date back to 26 May 2022, following the Seimas session on the registration of civil unions, in a discussion with a cameraman, which was filmed and broadcast by the media. An investigation was conducted in 2022-2023, the case was referred to the court in January 2024, and the Seimas authorised the prosecution in November 2023. Petras Gražulis was not a Member of the European Parliament at the time of the alleged offence.

Parliament considered that the alleged offences do not concern an opinion expressed or a vote cast in the exercise of the duties of a Member of the European Parliament. Furthermore, it has found no evidence to suggest that the legal proceedings in question were initiated with the intention of harming the political activity of a Member of the European Parliament and, therefore, of the European Parliament.