Lithuania today

 Frankfurter Rundschau:
”Lukaschenko, der gnadenlose Barbar”

Lukashenko, the
ruthless barbarian

Photo/motto: http://president.gov.by/en/

German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau calls Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko a ruthless barbarian after the execution of two young men convicted of a bomb attack at Minsk subway’s most crowded station on April 11, 2011

"The question of whether the guilty of the convicted has been proven is not decisive. The president, who believes that the death of people can be repaid by the death of others, makes a killer of himself. Disregard for human life makes them indistinguishable,” writes the newspaper.

“In addition,” says the newspaper, “the method of the execution in Minsk - a shot in the head - is a symbol of terror in itself. For example, that was the way of killing of thousands of Stalin's victims by monstrous hangman Vasili Blokhin. The memory of this is embodied in the collective consciousness in the former Soviet space deeper than it’s portrayed in the West."

Last November, Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov were convicted of a bomb attack at Minsk
subway’s most crowded station on April 11, 2011, which killed 15 people and wounded hundreds of others.
Last Friday they were both executed, shot in their necks.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung goes on with the subject, saying:

"The death sentence was most likely decided just two days after the attack, when Lukashenko announced that the criminals had been detained. The president decides, not the courts. The same thing is happening in Belarus in all other aspects - the “truth” of the president is what counts. If the reality dares to deviate from this truth, there are always other people to blame and they should pay for it.

Nobody knows who is really behind the explosion in Minsk subway, as it’s been poorly investigated, and, obviously, will remain a mystery forever. One thing is clear, however; the dictatorship, not knowing the difference between the establishment of the truth in court and violence is a danger to society."

The newspaper Tageszeitung writes:

"Tamara Chikunova from Uzbekistan and Lubov Kovalevs from Belarus suffered a lot: their sons were executed by a dictatorial regime. Both have fought and continue to fight for the honour of their sons and against the death penalty. Seven years after the execution of Chikunova’s son Uzbek government abolished the death penalty. This is a success, which would have been impossible without the efforts of the mother of the executed.

In Belarus, more and more people are rejecting the death penalty. Many residents of Minsk not only commemorated the victims of terrorist attacks last week, but also demanded the abolition of the capital punishment in Belarus. It’s time for civil society to act. One should support the forces that are fighting in the country against the death penalty.

But politicians must take certain steps, too. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the second largest trade partner of Belarus, after Russia, Uri Rosenthal demanded the expansion of sanctions "against Europe's last dictator" in connection with the recent executions. Let’s hope that the suggestion of Rosenthal will be supported among colleagues."

The paper Die Welt analyzes the relationship of Moscow to Minsk and sees the penalty as a slap on the ear of the West.

Russia plays a murky role in this story: it is distancing itself from the Belarus regime, which is considered “bad” but is unwilling to let Belarus drift toward the West. The fact, that Lukashenko is burning bridges with the West, is not considered a great loss in Moscow. The country is now dependent on Russian aid because of its post-Soviet mismanagement.

The West tried to make a deal - dollars and euros in exchange for democratic reforms. It all was in vain: the dictator is only concerned about his own and his minions’ well-being. The lives of his nine million countrymen are of less importance.

Impacts of the new
Putin presidency on
U.S.-Russia relations?

U.S. ties with Russia have been strained since Prime Minister Vladimir Putin began his re-election campaign for president. This has made it more difficult for Washington and Moscow to make progress on policy toward Syria and Iran, and we are in many fields now experiencing that the relatively warm contact between President Obama and President Medvedev is in the process of being replaced by a colder tone. Putin apparently prefers the role of counterweight more than being a world stage partner together with U.S.A.

This month marks three years since the U.S.- Russia “reset” was introduced. In March 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva. They agreed that it was time to turn the page in relations between the two countries and start a constructive dialogue with a clean slate.

President Barack Obama has made better relations with Russia a cornerstone of his foreign policy . The so-called “reset” in relations with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev brought about a major arms-control agreement and increased cooperation on such issues as Afghanistan, Iran and Libya.

Analysts say there is currently a chill in relations between Washington and Moscow, not least due to Russia joining China in vetoing a U.N. resolution calling for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to step aside. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the vote “a travesty.”

Georgetown University Russia expert Angela Stent says Vladimir Putin has been employing an old, familiar tool during his recent presidential campaign, blaming the United States for a lot of Russia’s problems..

“He has really resorted to a tactic that, of course, has been used since he became president in 2000 - and that is to invoke the United States [as the] enemy, to blame the United States for a lot of Russian problems," said Stent. "And as you saw, in the Duma elections, he then blamed Hillary Clinton, Secretary Clinton for supporting the opposition and for trying to undermine Russian stability.”

Russia expert Robert Legvold cites another example.

“When the new [U.S.] ambassador, Michael McFaul, hosted opposition figures, even though it was a quiet meeting, the authorities knew about it, had camera people there to film it," said Legvold. "And then that led the media, certainly at Putin’s behest, or media knowing what Putin would want, to sharply attack McFaul for doing this kind of thing, interfering and then accusing the opposition party of, through that channel, receiving funding from the United States.”

Mikhail Leontyev, a commentator on Russian state TV, said McFaul was close to U.S. intelligence services. Others have said McFaul has been sent to Moscow to foment an Orange Revolution in Russia.

The accusation that opposition leaders are working at the behest of the U.S. state department to generate an Orange-style revolution is an insult frequently levelled by Kremlin supporters.

"The thing is that McFaul is not a Russia specialist, but a specialist in a very specific kind of democracy promotion," Mr Leontyev said on Channel One's prime-time news programme.

Putin’s latest article, “Russia and the changing world ↑ ,” in Moskovskiye Novosti depicts the U.S. as a destabilizing and dangerous force on the world stage, which needs to be countered. Putin writes: “It seems that NATO members, especially the United States, have developed a peculiar interpretation of security that is different from ours. The Americans have become obsessed with the idea of becoming absolutely invulnerable….[this] is the root of the problem.”

In that article he rails against U.S. and NATO, alluding to the Arab Spring and support for the opposition in Syria, writing that justifications for military intervention in third-party states with the need to defend human rights is “not a noble cause,” but “elementary demagoguery.”

Given this anti-American rhetoric, questions are being raised as to what impact the new Putin presidency will have on U.S.- Russia relations.

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul: Introduction video

The date 11 March will forever remain very
significant for both Japan and Lithuania
Japan mourning
2011 tsunami, Lithuania
marking 1990 freedom

A devastating earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011 made Japan shake to its core. Thousands of people perished. In addition to massive property damage, the Fukushima nuclear power station sustained critical damage to its reactors which, in turn, caused reactor melt downs and uncontrolled releases of radiation/radioactive materials.

11 March is a date that will forever remain significant in both Japan and Lithuania. It was on this date in 1990 that the members of the Lithuanian Parliament signed the Act of Independence, which was the first major step towards the country's liberation from the Soviet Union after 50 years of living under occupation.

And it was on this date in 2011 that a large earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit northern Japan in a most dramatic, damaging way. One of Japan's nuclear power plants was hit hard, with the result that radiation devastated a large area and many people’s lives.

Only two of Japan's 54 reactors are now running while those shut down for regular inspections undergo special tests to check their ability to withstand similar disasters.

In the midst of all this, Japan and Lithuania have signed an agreement on nuclear cooperation, as the industrial giant Hitachi has been selected to build a brand new nuclear power plant in Lithuania, expected ready by 2020. While the meltdown crisis in Fukushima has raised awareness around the world of the dangers of nuclear power, Lithuania, with its limited natural resources, appears to have little choice but to rely on atomic energy to reduce its heavy reliance on natural gas from Russia.

Japan today – 11 March 2012
Through silence and prayers, people across Japan on Sunday remembered the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation one year ago, killing just over 19,000 people and unleashing the world's worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century.

A moment of silence was observed at 2:46 p.m. -- the exact time the magnitude-9.0 quake struck on March 11, 2011.
In the devastated northeastern coastal town of Rikuzentakata, a siren sounded and a Buddhist priest in a purple robe rang a huge bell at a damaged temple overlooking a barren area where houses once stood.

At the same time in Tokyo's National Theater, Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda stood in silence with hundreds of other people dressed in black at a memorial service.

An anti-nuclear protest took place in downtown Tokyo on Sunday amid growing public opposition to atomic power in the wake of the disaster, the worst since Chernobyl in 1986.

The quake was the strongest recorded in Japan's history, and set off a tsunami that towered more than 20 meters (65 feet)  in some spots along the northeastern coast, destroying tens of thousands of homes and wreaking widespread destruction.

Today, some 325,000 people rendered homeless remain in temporary housing. While much of the debris has been gathered into massive piles, very little rebuilding has begun.

The government says the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, where three reactor cores melted down after the tsunami knocked out their vital cooling systems, is stable and that radiation coming from the plant has subsided significantly. But the plant's chief acknowledged to journalists visiting the complex recently that it remains in a fragile state, and makeshift equipment — some mended with tape — could be seen keeping crucial systems running.

Only two of Japan's 54 reactors are now running while those shut down for regular inspections undergo special tests to check their ability to withstand similar disasters. They could all go offline by the end of April if none are restarted before then.

The Japanese government has pledged to reduce reliance on nuclear power, which supplied about 30 percent of the nation's energy needs before the disaster, but says it needs to restart some nuclear plants to meet Japan's energy needs during the transition period.

Japan's prime minister has acknowledged failures in the government's response to the disaster, being too slow in relaying key information and believing too much in "a myth of safety" about nuclear power.

"We can no longer make the excuse that what was unpredictable and outside our imagination has happened," Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told a group of reporters last weekend. "Crisis management requires us to imagine what may be outside our imagination."

Lithuania today – 11 March 2012
Lithuania was today celebrating the 22nd anniversary of declaring independence from the former Soviet Union, the first of the iron-curtain states so to do after Lithuania had been swallowed up by Moscow in 1940 under the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Many believe Lithuania’s declaration helped accelerate the fall of the Soviet regime itself.

Professor Vytautas Landsbergis, Chairman of Lithuania’s Supreme Council, was the one who proclaimed Lithuania independent late evening on the 11th of March 1990. 124 members of the Supreme Council had voted for the breakaway. Nobody voted against.

Despite the reformist moves by Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow, Lithuania’s decision angered the Soviet leadership. In January ’91, the tensions spilled over. Soviet tanks killed 14 people in clashes at the TV tower in Vilnius.

But later that year in the Soviet Union hardliners failed to overthrow Gorbachev, and the movement towards democracy gained momentum.
By early 1993, the Soviet tanks were beating a retreat. The international community had recognised Lithuania’s independence.

11 March has since 1990 been celebrated as Lithuania's second national day, after 16 February which marks the country's declaration of independence of 1918. Unfortunately, the country's authorities have for several years allowed neo-Nazi elements make their mark on this important freedom day.

This year's celebration was different in a positive way, seeing thousands of freedom-loving and open-minded people filling up the country's main street, Gedimino Avenue in Vilnius, to a worthy demonstration of the fact that Lithuania is again a land of wisdom and maturity.

Gedimino pr. Sunday 11 March at 16.00:
Let’s meet to celebrate
freedom & tolerance!

Sunday 11th of March it is 22 years since the members of the Lithuanian Parliament signed the State of Lithuania's independence declaration. At the risk of their own lives, these brave men and women put their signatures on a paper that clearly stated that they and the Lithuanian people would no longer accept to live under occupation and oppression.

Lithuania became a free and democratic country as a result of these signatures, and even if the country’s development since then has not been perfect, it is still reason to celebrate the freedom and clearly demonstrate that we value living in a free Lithuania where the concepts of tolerance, democracy, openness, respect and compassion are the ideals.

So bring your family and friends to Gedmino Avenue in Vilnius on Sunday 11 March at 16:00 and let us together celebrate unity, equality, openness and friendship. Only this kind of patriotism provides for the existence of a democratic state and civil society. Independence Day is what unites us, so let’s celebrate it together. Free, friendly and fearless!

The initiative is called CELEBRATING FREEDOM. Its goal is to bring together all Lithuanians who cherish the values enshrined in the Constitution – a democratic system, rule of law, equality, openness, respect for everyone, and to enjoy Lithuanian independence.

On March 11th, let us celebrate unity, equality, openness and friendship. Only this kind of patriotism provides for the existence of a democratic state and civil society. Independence Day is what unites us, and so, let’s celebrate it together. Free, friendly and fearless!

PROGRAMME:

We will celebrate with:
Nomeda Marčėnaitė, Vytautas Juozapaitis, Vladimiras Laučius, Artūras Račas, Diana Vilytė, Darius Kuolys, Dana Migaliova, Saulius Arvasevičius, Leonidas Donskis, Arūnas Pemkus, Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, Rytis Juozapavičius, Algis Ramanauskas-Greitai, Dominykas Vaitiekūnas, Dainius Pūras, Ričardas Berankis, Ilja Laurs, Markas Zingeris, Jonas Ohman, Amberlife, Jurgis ir Erica Didžiuliai, Petras Geniušas, Vytautas V. Landsbergis, Giedrė Kilčiauskienė ir Empti, Gintarė Latvėnaitė, Robertas Povilaitis, Gabrielė Tuminaitė, DJ Mark Splinter, Tomas Boo, Skyders with Tomas Šileika, break-dance group from club „i17“, Schools Parliament, Student Association and others.

International Women’s Day in Lithuania:
Valentine’s Day instead of
fighting for equality…

President Dalia Grybauskaitė

8th of March is International Women's Day, a day marked by women groups around the world. The day is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the very beginning of the 1900s.

But in Lithuania the 8th of March is not at all characterized by women's struggle for emancipation and equality, or any sort of fighting against violence and abuse. Believe it or not, but here you will experience no single parade, no placates with demanding lines for equal rights, or any stirring speeches from women's rights activists.

The Soviet leaders were probably very anxious that the Women's Day could turn into a demonstration against the system and the many elderly, grey haired men at the top of the Kremlin. These men's smart move was to instead make the 8th of March a feast day, something in between Mother's Day and St. Valentine’s Day.

So, even today, two decades after the Soviet collapse, the 8th of March in Lithuania is the day when women receive presents, flowers, poems, text messages and lots of kind words and wishes from their men or lovers. While the 8th of March over the rest of the world makes the important point that this is a day for equality and justice between the genders, this is in Lithuania a day of romance and sweet music – a day when people celebrate more the difference than the equality between the genders.

In 2010 President Dalia Grybauskaite used her address to the United Nations to call for much greater coordinated efforts to achieve global gender equality.

Violence against women

63.3 % of Lithuanian women have been victims of male physical or sexual violence or threats
after their 16^th birthday. This represents today such a severe problem that, in my opinion,
President Grybauskaite should personally get involved and take the necessary measures
to turn around this devastating trend. Klaipeda municipality wants to be a pioneer-
municipality in terms of focus on domestic violence and abuse of women,
and I believe it could be a good idea for the President to support
these good efforts and make Klaipeda a positive show case for
constructive focus on domestic violence and
violence against women.  

About women’s situation in Lithuania

- The Law on Equal Opportunities was adopted in 1999, but the system of implementation of the legislation and the mechanism of protecting women’s human rights are not sufficient enough to achieve optimal results.
- A very important step forward for the implementation of gender equality in Lithuania was done by the Government in 2003 by adopting the “National programme for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men 2003-2004” and 2005-2009.
- An inter-Ministerial Commission on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men was established in year 2000 to coordinate the implementation of the gender mainstreaming policy.
- In May 2009 Dalia Grybauskaite was elected Lithuania's first female president.

Lithuania has made it to the top-twenty list of countries worldwide in terms of security of equal opportunities for men and women, outmatching its neighbours and some of the EU’s old-timers.
According to the World Economic Forum that estimates economic, legal and social gaps between the genders, in 2007 Lithuania placed 14th, advancing by 7 places from 21 in 2006 as the BNS reported. Lithuania has been given a 72.3 percent score, while 100 percent means absolute equality and 0 percent — total discrimination. Latvia (73.3 percent) has moved up by 6 positions over a year to the 13th place, Estonia (70.1 percent) placed 30, one step above its position as of last year.

Population and families

• The number of women in Lithuania exceeds the number of men. There are 114 women per 100 men.
• The average life expectancy 78 years for women and 66 years for men.
• Divorced, widowed and single women make up 48% of all women, men - 39%. The proportion of women without spouse is not diminishing.
• A Lithuanian woman gives birth to her first child at the average age of 25. The proportion of women without a spouse is not diminishing.
• After divorces, about 10 thousand children remained without one of their parents (mostly they are with their mothers).

Education

• The number of women students in higher schools exceeds that of men students. There are 60% of women students and 40% of men students in higher schools. But among scientists 37% are women and among doctors habillis just - 15%.
• Distribution of students by gender is very diverse in different modules of education. Women students make up 75% of those studying social services and services for individual persons, 79% of those studying pedagogic and 79% - health care. In transport and security services, though, men students make up 87%, engineering - 81%, computing - 76%.
• The majority (86%) of pedagogues of general schools are women.

Employment and labour market

• Economic activity of women is lower than that of men. The activity indicator of men is 74%, while that of women - 66%.
• Unemployment rate of men (15%) is higher than that of women (13%). Women have limited possibilities to combine family life with participation in economic activity. 86 thousand women or 14% of all working women have part-time work (men 10%).
• The number of men and women by economic activity is rather varied. The majority of those working in health care are women as well as in social work and education, while men predominate in construction, electricity, gas and water supply.
• Managing positions in all economic activities are mainly occupied by men. For example, women constitute 86% of secondary school pedagogues, though directors of these schools are primarily men (62%).
• Women’s earning as percentage of men’s is 81.2%, in public sector 74.9% and in private sector- 85%. women are still make lower salaries than men. Women’s average gross wages per hour was 19.3 % lower than men’s wages In 2007. Women made up for 31 % of businesspeople in Lithuania in 2007, as compared with 26 % in 2006. 
  

Participation in administration and decision-taking

• The number of women in the Seimas (Parliament) (11%) is markedly lower than that of men, in the Government (ministers vice-ministers and minister‘s advisers) - 28%, and in Municipality Councils - 21%.
• More men than women have their own business. About 40% of women have their own small or medium size enterprises.
• Women make up 37 % of all leaders in the Lithuanian ruling elite such as the parliamentarians, senior state officials and executives of companies and establishments

women trafficking

Lithuania has become in recent years a country of women export and transit between Eastern, Central and Western European countries.  Poverty and unemployment force many women into prostitution. Different sources suggest that women from different social-demographical levels are involved in the sex-industry, mainly by young girls and women (average age – 24.5 years old) from so called risk groups. Experts claim that the geography in trafficking women from Lithuania is changing: if earlier it was Israel, Greece, United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, now main flows extend to Germany, Holland, Great Britain, France, Sweden, and Spain.

One of the problems in dealing with trafficking issues in Lithuania is lack of statistics and reintegration of victims into the society. As a public opinion survey done in 2002 by request of International Organization for Migration (IOM) suggests, up to 53.4% of Lithuanian people think “many” or “very many” girls are trafficked abroad to work as prostitutes by deceit, and 6.7% of people face this phenomenon in their close social environment, i.e. there were attempts made to traffic their close friend, relative, colleague, acquaintance. (“Trafficking in women: problems and decisions“ IOM, Institute for Social Research, 2004).

violence against women

Violence constitutes one of the most actual problems in Lithuania. Most people of Lithuania have suffered from violence at least once in their life.   Males usually experience violence in public places, boys in parents’ families. Women are usually victims of sexual violence or violence in their own family…

Domestic violence
Violence, especially domestic violence, is one of the main problems women are facing in nowadays Lithuania.
Violence based on gender conflict, such as battering or any other domestic violence, sexual depravation and abuse, trafficking of women and children, forced prostitution and sexual harassment are incompatible with honour and dignity of a person.

There is lack of high-skilled officials, capable to assess situations of domestic conflicts, to find out sources for such behaviour and to assist victims or counsel the population in this field; insufficient training for judges, police officials, social teachers and social workers and doctors capable of dealing with violent men. Police and courts are avoiding the cases of domestic violence unless the victim is severely beaten or killed. All possible police measures against the perpetrator are very restricted and underused to protect the victim of violence.

The network of crisis centres providing support to victims of violence is insufficient. Many crisis centres were established and are operating on the initiative of non-governmental organisations. According to the data gathered by the Women’s Issues Information Centre, there now are 15 Crisis Centres and 6 Shelters for battered women, but they do not cover the whole territory of the country and only 2 of them are supported by Municipalities.

Crisis centres providing support to the victims of violence and working with perpetrators should be established following the territorial principle with active participation of municipalities.

A multiplex approach towards violence, covering support to violence victims, application of sanctions on perpetrators, awareness raising of the public, specialists and violence victims, education and training, law enforcement systems, strengthening the role of legal institutions and, health care, is still rather limited. Therefore, it is obvious that there is lack of appropriate complex programmes addressing the issues and covering the respective areas including coordination of actions of various public and non-governmental institutions.

Victim survey report – the sad reading 

* 63.3 % of Lithuanian women have been victims of male physical or sexual violence or threats after their 16^th birthday.

* 42.4 % of all married and cohabiting women have been victims of physical or sexual violence or threats of violence by their present partner.

* 53% of all women who had lived in relationships which had already terminated experienced violence or threats by their ex-partners.

* 11 % of Lithuanian women had at least once, after their 16^th birthday, been victims of male physical or sexual violence or threats, perpetrated by a stranger, 8.2 % - by a friend, and 14.4 % by an acquaintance or relative.

* 71.4 % of Lithuanian women after their 16^th birthday have been victims of sexual harassment or sexually offensive behaviour by a stranger, and 43.8% by a known man.

* 26.5 % of Lithuanian women after their 16^th birthday had experienced sexual abuse by a stranger; 18.2 % by a known man; 17 % were attempted to be coerced into sexual intercourse by their date.

* 3.4 % of all victimised women reported that the experienced violence did not affect them, the absolute majority reported that this had caused hatred, helplessness, sorrow or other negative emotions.

            * 10.6 % of the victims reported the most serious incident to the police.

* Women who were victimised in their parental families more often were victimised in their marital families; women whose mother was abused by the spouse, more often experienced violence by their spouses; men whose father had been violent against the mother, had been more often violent against their own partner.

            * 75.3 % of adult Lithuanian women do not feel safe from risk of assault.

* 79 % of Lithuanian women believe that the home is the safest place for women and children.

Source: http://www.lygus.lt/ITC/files_smurtas/giedre1.doc

Dr. Giedrė Purvaneckienė

Aggression only moves in one direction – it creates more aggression

Margaret J. Wheatley

 
Illustration: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Eastern European criminals were responsible for more than 11,000 crimes in London last year. Nationals of Poland, Romania and Lithuania were most likely of all foreigners to be prosecuted by the police, an investigation has revealed, according to Mail Online.

Overall, foreigners are accused of one in four of all crimes committed in London.
Astonishingly, they make up nine out of ten drug suspects and are responsible for more than one in three sex offences.

One in four of the East European assailants were Lithuanians, while criminals from Poland
accounted for around 50%. But the percentage in proportion to population shows that Lithuania towers on top with a huge margin. In relation to population there were committed 6.5 times more crimes by Lithuanians than by Poles!

Terrible statistics for a small country that so desperately needs good forces in the recovery and new prosperity after all the years of Soviet oppression.

A report published by Associate Professor Aurelijus Gutauskas at Mykolas Romeris University's Law Faculty gives a very interesting insight into how the economic downturn has led to increased social disparities, crime, fraud and widespread shadow economy in Lithuania, ref https://vilnews.com/?p=6312#idc-container

EU homicide rate per 100 000 population,
average per year, 2007-2009

Homicide is a type of violent crime, and is defined as the intentional killing of a person, including murder, manslaughter, euthanasia and infanticide. It excludes death by dangerous driving, abortion and help with suicide. The national figures indicatethat Lithuania and Estonia have by far the highest incidence of homicides (over 8 and 5 victims respectively per 100 000 population).

Why dignity matters for Lithuania

Jonas Basanavičius (23 November 1851 – 16 February 1927) was an activist and proponent of Lithuania's National Revival and founder of the first Lithuanian language newspaper Aušra. He was a signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania on 16 February 1918 Basanavičius is often given the unique informal honorific title of the "Patriarch of the Nation" for his contributions and help in re-establishing the Lithuanian state.

By Aage Myhre, Editor-in-Chief
aage.myhre@VilNews.com

“A man's country is not a certain area of land, of
mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and
patriotism is loyalty to that principle.”
- George William Curtis

It is 16 February 2012. It is today exactly 94 years since a group of brave men wrote the Lithuanian declaration of independence after the country had been under Tsarist Russia's iron heel through more than 100 years. These men represented a generation that certainly felt an overwhelming sense of pride at the dawn of renewed independence. The Act of February 16 was signed by all 20 representatives of the Council of Lithuania, proclaiming the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania, governed by democratic principles. The meeting and signing procedures were chaired by Jonas Basanavičius, the man often given the unique informal honorific title of the "Patriarch of the Nation" for his contributions and help in re-establishing the Lithuanian state.

What these men presented from the balcony of a house in Pilies street here in Vilnius Old Town was not much more than a piece of paper. But it was a paper that symbolized a nation willing to throw off the yoke. A nation that had won back its self respect and dignity in spite of the injustice and oppression that had been going on since the Russian occupation started in 1795.

We salute these men for their courage and foresight. We salute them because they, in faith, hope and dignity clearly showed that Lithuania wanted to live up to its proud history as a nation of greatness.

Great nations are founded on self-belief!

As we now know, the newfound freedom was not going to last much more than 20 years. But they were 20 important years in which Lithuanians showed the world and themselves that the citizens and the country's leaders had the ability to collaborate an utterly successful reconstruction of the nation. Pride, dignity and courage came to characterize the inter-war years of this country.

The years 1988-1991 were also characterized by dignity and confidence. The quiet revolution that defined the Lithuanian and the other Baltic States' revolt against Soviet rule was almost like a textbook on how a nation's inner strength can lead to freedom originating from within, from its own citizens.

The 21 years that have passed since 1991, have not in the same good way as the 21 inter-war years demonstrated a nation where citizens have regained pride and commitment to joint efforts for the home country. Distrust, corruption and greed has unfortunately become all too characteristic of the last two decades. Hundreds of thousands have left

Lithuania during these years, frustrated by the absence of expected progress, of seeing that cheating on many levels is still going on, and that a small minority have made ​​themselves rich at public expense.

It is in this situation easy to blame the nation's leaders. And for good reason. But the country's own citizens, especially the young, should be united in a common effort and take responsibility for a better future. Politicians and leaders should show the way, but the exertion must come from within, from the people.

"Ask not what your country can do for you –
ask what you can do for your country."
- John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961

VilNews wants to contribute to the cause of supporting the Lithuanian people, wherever in the world they are located, to once again feel pride and enjoyment of their homeland. We would like to see many of those who have emigrated and their descendants to return home again. We want to see a joint effort for the home country among Lithuanians all over the world. We want the team feeling back.

Patriotism, pride and dignity are important elements in order for such efforts to succeed. We have, with this as background, invited a group of prominent individuals who represent dignity and patriotism in an outstanding manner. They are all born in Lithuania before World War II, a period when Lithuania flourished. Some of them have lived most of their lives in this country while others fled to western countries when Stalin's war machinery rolled into their homeland.

Common to them all, however, is that they continuously have fought for the fatherland, wherever in the world they have been living or working.

On this very special day for Lithuania, the 16^th of February, it's a great pleasure to honour and thank these individuals for their tremendous efforts and attitudes to the homeland. They have something to teach us. They have, through the way they have lived their lives, and their wisdom, something important to share with all of us who are related to Lithuania.

They represent the sort of dignity and patriotism that we all should let us inspire by and follow.

Why is dignity important for Lithuania?

For me dignity has to do with the feeling of self-worth. Something every person and nation needs to have to succeed and feel good. Still my experience is that in spite of its universal appeal, this remains a topic rarely discussed. We all have experience of it but may not have words to describe it or a wish to talk about it.

We all know how great it is to be seen, heard, and acknowledged for who we are and treated as if we mattered. Who doesn't enjoy the praise of being recognized for doing a good job or being honoured for going beyond the call of duty?

We also know what it feels like to be treated as inferior, discriminated against, ignored, misunderstood, criticized and excluded. There is little worse than being in a situation where you are treated unfairly and can do nothing about it, or being excluded from something that means a lot to you.

We are all too well aware of the feelings that accompany these violations of our dignity. What is not so common is to bring them up for discussion. It is often too embarrassing to admit that we have been treated so badly. It is why attention on matters of dignity and to give us a language to bring these issues to the surface so that we can legitimize the suffering that accompanies these painful human experiences and do something about them.

We don't have to just live with them, we need to address them. So does the nation called Lithuania.

Matters of dignity are at the heart of every interaction we have with other people or nations. They show up in the work, in schools, at home, in intimate relationships – everywhere human beings come into contact with one another. All over the world dignity violations abound. In work or social relations people often feel that they are not treated well, but have no way to "speak-up" for fear of retribution. Many feel it would be career suicide to go to their bosses and tell them that they have violated their dignity. The end result is that there is a lot of resentment on the part of employees and little desire to extend themselves beyond what their job requires. It is infuriating to them that they are being mistreated and that there is no way to give voice to it. Conflicts over dignity are an everyday experience but very few people feel skilled in handling them.

This is why I think matters of dignity are of highest importance both for and within Lithuania. The time has come to shed light on something that we may not have either the courage or language to discuss. The shame that accompanies being treated badly prevents us from doing the very thing we need to do to recover from violations of our dignity: bring them out into the open, validate them, and give them the attention they deserve.

We wouldn't think twice about getting help when we have a physical injury. When we have a wound to our dignity there is nowhere to go; no emergency call or room. Bringing the issue to light can help us all heal from the many subtle and not so subtle ways that indignity has found its way into our lives.

We, Lithuania, can do better and we should do it with dignity.

“Dignity does not float down from heaven it cannot be purchased nor manufactured. It is a reward reserved for those who labour with diligence.”
- Bill Hybels

Text: Aage Myhre

A reader who responded to one of our VilNews issues last year argued that our publication had begun to go in the footsteps of local Lithuanian media in describing Lithuania in a rather negative way. I can well understand such a reaction, but it must also be said that unfortunately there has been a relatively large number of cases and circumstances in this country that deserve to be described in quite critical terms.

The bad

• The Lithuanian people, especially the weakest groups, are very hard hit by the economic crisis that continues to affect much of the world. The country's pensioners and other disadvantaged groups continue to live under very miserable conditions, and one must be allowed to make critical remarks on how this country's authorities have acted in the handling of the crisis. It seems to me that Lithuania's government has been more concerned with finding their own solutions, trying to ‘reinvent the wheel' rather than to learn from what other nations have made with regard to stimulus packages, lowered interest rates, etc. in these times of crisis, which in my view unnecessarily sets Lithuania several years back in time compared to many other countries. Fortunately, it appears that the immediate panic that came to characterize both the government and the banks in 2008-2010, was slowly taken over by more mature attitudes in 2011.

• There has still been far too little done for increased foreign investments in Lithuania, even if there were some good efforts made during 2010 and 2011. Also the country's own industry has largely had to fend for themselves without the kind of facilitation and support one sees taking place in countries frequently compared with Lithuania.

• The country has been constantly ill-placed on Transparency International's statistics on corruption and transparency over many years, compared with other European countries, a situation which clearly has hindered economic growth and a better society for its own citizens. That corruption and bribery is still a part of the country's 'culture' in business and public institutions is nothing less than a big shame!

• The country's press must, unfortunately, largely be described as underdeveloped, with too much emphasis on celebrity and scandal reviews, and too little emphasis on constructive and investigative journalism that focuses on corruption and other undesirable conditions that continue to hold this country down. But many would also say that the media focus too much on the negative, too little on all the positive things going on here.

• A huge proportion of Lithuania's population has emigrated in recent years, including many of those with higher education, and one can rightly ask what is done to create new jobs and make necessary provisions to keep these groups remain in their home country.

• One of Lithuania's most prominent human resources is undoubtedly the country's large diasporas around the globe, groups of people and their descendants who left their mother country because of war, difficult economic conditions, political persecution, etc. These diaspora groups are in my view too little listened to or consulted from the Lithuanian authorities, which is very sad for a nation that so desperately needs all possible support and assistance from the hundreds of thousands who still have Lithuania in their hearts.

• When Lithuania's Constitutional Court in November 2006 ruled that the country's Law on Citizenship should be interpreted in disfavour of dual citizenship for large groups of Lithuanians and their descendants having citizenships in other countries, this became the start of a still heated debate around the world, as many within the country's numerous diaspora groups felt that their country of origin did not want them back or did not want to appreciate them as full Lithuanians. Many felt that the Court's decision in its interpretation of the law was more influenced by hidden motives and intentions rather than common sense. As previously stated, Lithuania desperately needs goodwill from all of its huge diasporas, and should be more eager than most other countries to allow dual citizenship. Lithuania’s welcome-back-door must be kept constantly open, never closed. We need everyone who is ready to contribute and make an effort for the mother country.

• The Lithuanian school system, especially at higher levels, is still dominated by Soviet-era thinking and there is good reason to ask what has been done the last 22 years to make it more conducive to more advanced and modern education, research and collaboration between education, businesses and government.

• Health Service has major and serious deficiencies, and also suffers under the fact that many of the nation's doctors and nurses have emigrated to Western countries.

• The focus on travel and tourism has largely been unsuccessful, partly because of the disproportionately high airport taxes (the good news is that this was finally understood and these taxes were drastically lowered some time ago), under-developed ports for ferries and other ships in the Baltic Sea city of Klaipeda, poorly developed infrastructure and promotional activities, as well as little support to hotels and other tourist industries.

• Vilnius as European Capital of Culture in 2009, must also be described as a flop due to the fact that the number of visitors to the city was sharply down instead of up as expected, not least because of the unstructured and poor planning, and as several flights were cancelled due to FlyLAL's bankruptcy, too high airport charges and poor decisions by authorities. The planned main symbol of the year of culture, the re-created royal palace at the cathedral in Vilnius that should have been completed in all its glory during the culture year, still stands there as a ghostlike skeleton surrounded by construction cranes.

• The statistics for suicide and violent crime in Lithuania is sad reading, and the country is among those on the very bottom of all these statistics compared to the rest of Europe.

• Lithuanians make up for a disproportionate share of criminal gangs in Western Europe and the United States, something which increasingly creates major problems for the police and the judiciary in many countries and also leads to frequent negative headlines about Lithuania in the Western media.

• Lithuania is still suffering under a lot of pending historic "dirt", for example with regard to its dealings with the Holocaust and the fact that relatively many Lithuanians collaborated with the Nazis in the extermination of the Jews here. There was also an extensive collaboration between the KGB and senior Lithuanian politicians through the Soviet time, and it is still missing a wide clarification of what actually took place in the post-war partisan war. Reconciliation must be the obvious target, but based on all the facts laid on the table in a most scientific, objective way so that whatever might have been of injustice or illegal actions come to light and can be reacted to. A firm and fair treatment of these historical conditions will provide Lithuania great honour both domestically and from the international community.

• Participation in voluntary organizations is record low in Lithuania compared to other EU countries, and it seems that people in this country has relatively little liking for and willingness to teamwork and to work jointly with others within their neighbourhoods, local communities or on a national level. Is it perhaps selfishness, greed and mistrust of other people behind this?

The good
But, then, there is so very much positive that can be said about this country that many of us have become so fond of during the years after the liberation from the Soviet Union in 1990/91.

Lithuania has in many areas undergone an admirable growth for several years until the economical crisis started, which I recently saw very nicely symbolized by the many great new buildings that have shot up in the outskirts of Vilnius since I first came the same road into town in November 1990 on tour from my native Norway. Vilnius was by then a city that I experienced as sad, dark and worn, but is now a modern metropolis on a European level. An important part of this picture is the incredibly beautiful Old Town in Vilnius, which has now been renovated and re-emerged as one of Europe's finest and most attractive tourist magnets.

Also, coastal areas have undergone phenomenal change for the better. A summer stroll through the newly renovated Palanga city or at Europe's largest sand dunes in Nida are good experiences fully on par with what one finds in other countries' tourism destinations. The spa-town Druskininkai in South Lithuania has similarly undergone great improvements, and stands today as one of Europe's most attractive for anyone who wants to 'recharge the batteries' and at the same time enjoy the truly wonderful sceneries of Lithuania’s forest and lake landscapes.

It pleases me very much every time I visit my in-laws lush garden outside Vilnius. The practice of garden-towns is still alive and well here, and represents, in my opinion some of the closest you can get to this country's soul. Worth a visit!

Let me also mention the fantastic cultural life that so much characterizes this country. Music festivals that mark the cities and towns every summer. Most professional theatre, ballet and singing performances that fill the country's many stages throughout the winter months. Art exhibitions of all kinds, and spontaneous performances of various theatre and music groups in courtyards, squares, settlements and villages across the country. One needs never get bored in Lithuania!

And, let me share with you what two late statistics say about Lithuania:
According to the “2010 Quality of Life Index” published by the “International Living” magazine http://www1.internationalliving.com/qofl2010/, Lithuania is among the 25 best countries in the world to live in, with better quality of life than most other countries of Central and Eastern Europe (even ahead of some West-European countries).

Vilnius can boast of the cleanest air in Europe according to the „Economist Intelligence Unit“ and „Siemens“ in a research study called “An Index of Green European Cities” in which 30 cities-capitals of Europe were participating. http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/topic.php?tid=84&aid=2304

Conclusion
It is my hope that Lithuania's authorities, businesses and people in general seriously start to cope with the still remaining problems and negative conditions, so that we can put behind us the negative features and once again see and experience a Lithuania with similar positive guts, profile and multi-cultural constellations that this country was once so famous for.

The initial question was what we can do to improve Lithuania's reputation to the rest of our world.
Many would probably say that what we need is more positive attention in international media. And, in fact, over the years there have been spent large sums on advertising Lithuania and Vilnius on CNN and in other media. It has been printed countless brochures, and it has repeatedly been created commissions that should propose new logos, new slogans, new profiles and new ideas for international promotion of Lithuania. But I hardly exaggerate when I say that the usefulness of all this has been extremely limited.

My answer to the question would therefore rather be to open up for a broad process with the aim to overcome, and actively improve the problem areas I have outlined in my bullet points above. I believe this would be a far better starting point and professional platform for improving Lithuania's reputation. Such a process would in itself attract attention and recognition in international media, as well as among leaders and ordinary people around the world.

Nothing gives better reputation for a nation than when the country’s authorities and citizens join forces into a positive and determined development process based on openness, fairness, honesty, genuine concern for fellow human beings, true respect for law and order, hard work, and attempted professionalism on all levels.

Lithuania has the historical and contemporary power to again become a leading, prominent example nation for other developing countries and many others around the world. Let’s take the opportunity.


PS:
I am fully aware that I have embarked into a minefield by writing the above comments, but after living in Lithuania more or less continuously for more than 20 years, I feel that I have some background to indicate an ever-so-small number of perceptions. Giving advice to others, however, is always a risk sport. To be a bit critical is even more risky. I have no roots in or from Lithuania, but I have my 'branches' here, and I would so dearly like my descendants and all other Lithuanians again to feel pride when they tell of their Lithuanian background. Therefore, I have written this, and I hope it will be well received as a constructive contribution with the best intentions and wishes for a brightest possible future in and for Lithuania.

The pride of being Lithuanian

Illustration from: http://www.cafepress.com

Text: Aage Myhre
aage.myhre@VilNews.com

I've been asked why VilNews puts relatively much emphasis on articles with historical content. I've also been asked whether our journey around Europe in January should be presented in a publication that otherwise focuses on Lithuania.

My response is as follows:

Sooner or later the history knocks at the door of the present
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis recently said this about the still latent conflict between Armenia and Turkey on the mass killing that took place during the First World War. He is of course right, and the statement is valid for us all, also Lithuania.

The Lithuanian people have for 200 years largely been deprived of the opportunity to know their own nation's history presented in an objective and outspoken way. Those who published historical documentation here were often people who deliberately swept some parts of Lithuania's history under the carpet, exaggerated on other aspects and deliberately misinformed the people. During the years when Lithuania was under Tsarist Russia, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, truth and authentic information was often forbidden or falsified. Today it is no longer so, but I still feel that the knowledge about own history among the people here is not very deep or comprehensive in many cases.

Lithuania is a country that more than many others should be seen and understood in the light of historical perspectives. It is only when one becomes familiar with this nation's dramatic background that one can begin to understand more about the nation’s values and qualities. And it is this perspective we want to have as a backdrop for our articles in VilNews.

We want our readers to have access to deep knowledge of what has happened of good and bad here. Also in cases when this enforces tough confrontations with the past. For example what happened during the Holocaust, the guerrilla warfare that took place in the post-war years, as well as the many abuses carried out by Soviet and its henchmen during WWII and the 50 years that followed.

But Lithuania has also an infinite amount of history to be proud of. Take as an example the 300 years when the country was a world superpower, known as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was the wise leaders of this period who caused the British historian Norman Davies to describe Lithuania as "a haven of tolerance".

Lithuania’s dramatic, bloody history during the period 1919 – 1991

Lithuania is back in the European family

Lithuania is back in good old Europe. A Europe that has seen dramatic changes through century after century, but that will forever remain "home & castle" for us Europeans. Lithuania played once a very significant role for this continent, but is now to be considered a newcomer into its former neighbourhood. It is, however, in this neighbourhood Lithuania belongs. And now it's time to get to know the neighbours and find the nation’s rightful place in this context.

You who have followed us on our journey through Europe in January, may have learned a little more about the different countries we visited. You may have also seen that there are prominent Lithuanian footprints in pretty much every European country.

Lithuania is now free to revive friendships and relations with its neighbours. Border crossings are open as never before. Despite the differences, it is here in the European family that Lithuania belongs.

But family and neighbourhood also represents commitments. This must be taken seriously.

Lithuanians have many good reasons to feel pride in their homeland. Having knowledge of historical and geographical context is an important prerequisite for the emergence of modern Lithuania, and our VilNews will therefore also in the future focus on bringing information that sheds light on these aspects.