Although political scientists stress that these issues have nothing to do with the ongoing war in Ukraine, their decision should not be delayed, yet, according to them, the rulers need to understand that public attention is currently concentrated elsewhere. Therefore, according to experts, it is unlikely that human rights issues will be heard in this session of the Seimas and will receive the necessary support.
J. Novagrockienė: the chances that these laws will be adopted in the current situation are low
Jūratė Novagrockienė, a professor at the General Jonas Žemaitis Lithuanian Military Academy, believes that despite the opposition, human rights issues need to be addressed.
“Despite the terrible war in Ukraine, this does not mean that we have to distance ourselves from internal problems, say that they do not exist and do not need to be addressed. Naturally, they need to be addressed. However, it is important to understand that the war dimension is already putting completely new issues on the agenda, ”J. Novagrockienė told Eltai.
According to the professor, it is natural that the situation raises issues related to ensuring state security, supplying refugees fleeing the war, and assistance to Ukraine. Therefore, according to her, it is not surprising that some internal issues, including the Partnership Law, in the society are currently somewhat relegated to the background.
Therefore, in the opinion of the political scientist, there is little chance that in the context of the war in Ukraine, human rights issues will be heard and will receive sufficient support in the Seimas.
“It is good that the representatives of the Freedom Party are raising the issue of Partnership. But, on the other hand, their chances of being heard and making one decision or another are even lower than they were when the project was first submitted. That, I think, these issues have not gone anywhere, they need to be addressed, but they are simply doomed to failure for the simple reason that they will not get enough support in the Seimas now, ”said J. Novargrockienė.
“Because society itself is very much more concerned about security. For example, the issue that was forcibly brought to light and eventually the Home Secretary began to take care of is the issue of hiding places. “It is only natural that people now care more about where, for example, to hide if they sound sirens,” she pointed out.
R. Urbonaitė: the arguments of the opposition do not seem solid
Rima Urbonaitė, a lecturer at Mykolas Romeris University, says she is not surprised by the opposition’s attempts to exploit the context of the war in Ukraine to remove the Partnership Law, the Istanbul Convention or the decriminalization of small drugs from the agenda of the Seimas spring session.
“I am not surprised that those who do not want these issues on the agenda are now using all possible arguments to keep them on the agenda. The context of the war, which is now covered up, it is not surprising that it has been chosen as an argument, ”R. Urbonaitė told Eltai.
However, the political scientist emphasizes that the war in Ukraine has nothing to do with human rights issues.
“For example, the issue of partnership is nowhere to be found, regardless of whether war is taking place in Ukraine or not. And if politicians themselves want a lot of emphasis on this issue, then there is another aspect here, “she said.
R. Urbonaitė believes that the arguments chosen by the opposition to delete issues that are unacceptable to them do not seem solid. According to her, politicians go the simplest way to achieve their goals, saying that raising these issues crosses society.
“Some opposition politicians have even been superactive in previous sessions when those issues were discussed, and have contributed very strongly to the same blackmail. And now they are suddenly becoming those who speak very strongly about unity, “she pointed out.
According to the MRU lecturer, the opposition, which uses such rhetoric, may seek to prevent any issues from entering the agenda of the Seimas.
“It seems to me that this is a rather dangerous precedent, because then you can cover anything. In other words: who will determine when the time will come when unity will no longer be relevant in Lithuania. After all, even after the end of the war in Ukraine, unity will be equally relevant. The focus of society will always be relevant. So this means that we can never have these issues on the agenda again, ”the political scientist emphasized.
“I do not really understand the basis on which this is done, because it seems to me that Parliament is a place for debate. And if we introduce the practice now that we do not even put something on the agenda because someone does not like something, then we will not even have any stage of discussion, ”R. Urbonaitė noted.
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