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Interpretation and Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Recent Practice of the International Court of Justice
Get PDFThe article “Interpretation and application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the recent practice of the International Court of Justice”, written by Iryna Hrebenets and Anhelina Rozhets, summarize the recent practice of genocide cases of ICJ, find its main points and how it reflects in international law system. It was defined that the topic of genocide can not be discussed without an emotional approach to it, paying attention to the substance of the Genocide Convention – its universality of participation, binding states and not individuals. It was defined the main aim of the Convention – prevention of genocide, stopping of committing it, and punishment for guilty parties. In that point of view, it could not be placed any reservations in practice, as they would contradict the aims of the Convention. The peculiarity of punishing the state for genocide actions is the obligation to prove the connection between individuals who committed genocide and state’s financial involvement or awareness of committed actions with the specific intent to destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. The interpretations of the Convention proved the possibility of the effective fulfilment of erga omnes obligations, related to the prevention of genocide by the third and not directly related states. As the ICJ is the only legal forum that has the opportunity to interpret the Genocide Convention, thus, how it applies and interprets the Genocide Convention – shows how international law reflects the changes in the world order. Today it can be seen the results of it in the ongoing case Ukraine v. Russia, where the last acquisitions are applied in practice. 
Lietuvos Respublikos integracija Europos Sąjungoje Liublino unijos kontekste: konstituciniai aspektai
Get PDFWhen we see the processes of globalisation taking place at the present time, and when we associate Lithuania’s integration primarily with integration into the European Union, we completely forget about the processes that took place in the 17th century when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland formed a common federal aristocratic monarchy. Looking back in time and observing a certain regularity, we can apply the knowledge gained from the analysis to assess the current processes of Lithuania’s integration into the European Union, which have taken place very recently and are still ongoing, and which is a valuable experience for us in anticipating possible challenges.
The research work analyses the integration processes and the differences between the integration of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Republic of the Two Nations in the context of the Lublin Union of 1569 and the integration of the Republic of Lithuania after its accession to the European Union. This theme is explored through the constitutional aspects, the changes in integration in general, the impact on the symbols of statehood - the currency, the coat of arms, the flag, the capital, and the status of the language, as well as the aspects of autonomy in the administration of justice and the regulation of customs. Integration in itself is not necessarily a process that diminishes the importance of national symbols, and this is well illustrated by the status of the language, but reverse changes, such as changes in the currency, are not excluded. Matydami globalizacijos procesus vykstančius šiuo metu ir Lietuvos integraciją pirmiausia siejant su integracija Europos Sąjungoje visai pamirštame apie šiuos procesus vykusius XVII amžiuje Lietuvos Didžiajai Kunigaikštystei ir Lenkijos karalystei sudarius bendrą federacinę aristokratinę monarchiją. Atsigręžus į praeitį ir pastebint tam tikrą dėsningumą galime analizuojant gautas žinias pritaikyti vertinant dabartinius visai nesenai vykusius ir vis dar besitęsiančius Lietuvos integracijos Europos Sąjungoje procesus, kas mums yra vertinga patirtis numatant galimus iššūkius.
Moksliniame darbe analizuojami integracijos procesai ir skirtumai tarp Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės integracijos Abiejų Tautų Respublikoje 1569 m. Liublino Unijos kontekste bei Lietuvos Respublikos integracijos įstojus į Europos Sąjungą. Ši tema yra atskleidžiama per konstitucinius aspektus, nagrinėjant integracijos pokyčius bendrai, įtaką valstybingumo simboliams - valiutai, herbui, vėliavai, sostinei, kalbos statusą, taip pat aptariant autonomiškumo aspektus teisingumo vykdyme bei muitų reglamentavime. Integracija savaime nėra būtinai procesas, kuris sumenkina nacionalinių simbolių svarbą ir tai puikiai atspindi darbe nagrinėjamas kalbos statusas, tačiau neatmetamai vyksta ir atvirkštiniai pokyčiai, kaip antai valiutos pokyčiai. 
The Dialogue of the Constitutional Court with the Ordinary Courts: The Developments in Thirty Years
Get PDFWe discuss the interaction between the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania and the ordinary courts over three decades. First, we analyse the implementation of the right and obligation of ordinary courts to apply to the Constitutional Court. Also, we consider the possibility for the Constitutional Court to suspend the execution of the ordinary court decision which is associated with the emergence of an individual constitutional complaint. Finally, we overview the reopening of the ordinary court proceedings after the ruling of the Constitutional Court. We discuss in which cases the interaction of the courts can be identified as the judicial dialogue. Straipsnyje aptariama Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucinio Teismo ir ordinarinių teismų sąveika per trisdešimt metų. Konkrečių bylų pagrindu aptariamos trys probleminės šios sąveikos grupės. Visų pirma, tai ordinariniams teismams nustatytos teisės ir pareigos kreiptis į Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucinį Teismą įgyvendinimas. Taip pat su individualaus konstitucinio skundo atsiradimu siejama galimybė Lietuvos Respublikos Konstituciniam Teismui sustabdyti ordinarinio teismo sprendimo vykdymą. Galiausiai aptariama ordinarinio teismo proceso atnaujinimo po Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucinio Teismo nutarimo, priimto pagal individualų konstitucinį skundą ir pripažįstančio tam tikrą aktą (jo dalį) prieštaraujančiu Konstitucijai, problematika. Svarstoma, kuriais atvejais teismų sąveiką galima įvardyti teismų dialogu
Viešųjų bausmių taikymas vagims Vilniaus pilies teisme (XVIII amžiaus antrojoje pusėje)
Get PDFThe aim of this article is to discuss the practice of administering public punishments to thieves in the court of Vilnius Castle in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s (GDL) central voivodeship in the second half of the 18th century. The aim is to find out to what extent this practice complied with the laws that were in force in the state at that time and to what extent it reflected the humanisation postulates of criminal law that were spreading in the 18th century. The study is based on the court files of the Vilnius Castle Court stored in the Lithuanian State Historical Archives. The Third Statute of Lithuania, approved in 1588, and its provisions regarding the crime of theft still remained in force in the second half of the 18th century. This legal code provided for death, mutilation and flogging for those convicted of theft. In the second half of the 18th century, 36 thieves (all men, one of whom, Kazimieras Jančiauskas, was punished twice) were sentenced to public punishment by the Vilnius Castle Court. The most frequent punishment (49%) was flogging (18 cases), in some cases with the additional punishments of banishment from the city (8 cases) and branding (2 cases). Ten thieves (27%) were sentenced to death, which, as is common in such cases, had to be carried out on the gallows. Nine thieves (24%) were sentenced to fixed-terms (3 to 10 years) or indeterminate (life) prison sentences, to be carried out outside the GDL in Kamjaneć-Podilśkyj. Thus, in cases of theft, the Vilnius Castle Court applied rather severe punishments, basically referring to the relevant norms of the Third Statute of Lithuania, and also, apparently, partly following the tradition of dealing with such cases (in cases where the punishment of flogging was imposed instead of the death penalty). An exception was the use of imprisonment, which was not provided for in the laws of the GDL, but in this case it was only episodic as it was applied in a single sentence in 1782 and originated from the regulation issued by the Permanent Council.Instead of corporal punishments (mostly the death sentence), the philosophers of the Englightenment era proposed the use of imprisonment which would allow to realise the newly defined concept of the repressional punishment – the resocialization of the offender, as well as to implement the principles of proportionality of punishment to the crime committed and the utility of punishment (by using the convicted person for labour). These principles were largely absent from the Vilnius Castle Court’s sentences in the theft cases (except in one case). It is indeed the case that the Court sometimes did make reference to the defendants’ possibility to reform themselves; however, it did not arise from the ideas of Enlightement. The main objectives of punishment still remained the restoration of justice and prevention of crime. As many as 23 out of the 36 convicts (64 per cent) were to be eliminated from society to varying degrees (10 were to lose their lives, 8 were to be banished, 5 were to be sentenced to life imprisonment); therefore it is not possible to talk about resocialisation in this case. The principle of proportionality of punishment was also apparently not implemented when in similar cases the convicted received a different number of lashes. All this can probably be explained by society’s attachment to its own law (in particular to the Third Lithuanian Statute) and to a judicial practice which got established throughout centuries
Sutuoktinės giminės fama vyro heraldikoje: Mykolo Juozapo Gorskio ir Marijonos Reginos Vainaitės vedybų atvejis (XVIII amžiaus antra pusė)
Get PDFThis article presents an analysis of the heraldry of the Samogitian castellan Michał Jan Gorski (1717–1776), based on the 36 seals he used, three types of armorial stove tiles and two marks of patronage (at the Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius and the Telšiai Cathedral). These sources highlighted the development of his heraldry, while the application of semiotics and the social history approach helped reveal the motives for why the castellan used his much-admired marital coat of arms for so long.The heraldry used by Gorski may be divided into two stages. In the first (up to 1753), upon marrying Teresa Nagórska, he concentrated mostly on the manifestation of his parents’ heraldry (the type I seal). In the second stage (1753–1776), which began with his marriage to Marianna Regina Wojna and ended with the castellan’s own passing, his seals (types II to V), stove tiles and marks of patronage all featured his marital coat of arms in the centre of the two-field shield, with Gorski’s Nałęcz on the heraldic right, and the three horns of Wojna’s Trąby on the heraldic left. In addition, during the second stage the Samogitian castellan’s heraldry gradually grew more complex, where alongside the repeating decorative details (the crown on the helmet, the ducal mantle, etc.), new aspects emerged: a) an eagle’s head was used in the left corner of the shield on the type II seal, which signified rule over the county of Kėdainiai and reflected the growth of Gorski’s economic potential; b) the male heraldic ornament above the shield on the type III seal – a typical marital coat of arms element was used; c) symbols conveying the castellan’s rising status were used on the type IV and V seals: the ribbons and crosses from the Russian Order of Saint Anna (1764) and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s Order of Saint Stanislaus (1772), and abbreviations of the offices he held.The functionality of the Samogitian castellan’s marital coat of arms (with the Wojna family’s Three Horns) even after the death of his second wife and his entering into a new marriage demonstrates its importance to Gorski, which depended on several factors. First, M. R. Wojna came from a family that his its own fama – its members in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania held high secular and religious offices in the 16th–17th centuries. Second, this family had a well known memoria (burial) place in the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – the Wojna Chapel in the Vilnius Cathedral. Third, certain factors (nine children, his request to be buried next to this wife, a longer period of mourning, perhaps, after her passing, three surviving portraits of this woman, etc.) testify that this couple shared a warm, close relationship. Fourth, Gorski’s second wife was the last representative of the Wojna family in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Thus, by marrying her, the Samogitian castellan not only took over the entire landholdings of this family, which significantly increased his economic potential, but also part of this family’s respectability, or fama, which he earnestly reminded other castellans of by specifically using his marital coat of arms. The latter instance shows how successful marital policy could be cleverly conveyed in the heraldry of the nobility.The Wojna family’s coat of arms in the marital heraldry of the Samogitian castellan was his social capital, becoming a part of his identity and paving the way for Gorski’s growth in status. We can see this not only from his ascent through various offices in the Duchy of Samogitia, but also from unofficial titulature, where Gorski was initially identified as the “lord of Kražiai and Salantai” before eventually being titled as count (from 1767). Thus, it is no accident that thanks to M. J. Wojna, the Gorski family featured among the top-twelve largest Lithuanian landowners according to their economic capability in the second half of the 18th century
Macroeconomic Influences on Baltic Housing Loan Flows
Get PDFThis study investigates the impact of macroeconomic factors on housing loan flows in the Baltic region post-2008 housing bubble. Using stepwise regression, Lasso regression, and pooled regression, data is analyzed from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania spanning 2014 to 2023. Results reveal the significant influence of borrowing costs, wages, unemployment, and inflation rates on loan flows
Issues on compensation for damage caused to patients in the provision of healthcare services
No full textHealth is one of the most important values of the individual and of society, which calls for a specific model of legal regulation and compensation that best serves the interests of the individual and society. In Lithuania, the new version of the PTŽSAĮ, which entered into force on 1 January 2020, introduced a no-fault model of compensation (administrative model). Analysing the relationship between the newly entered into force model of no-fault compensation (administrative model) and the previously existing model of judicial action, it would be incorrect to state that only the model of no-fault compensation (administrative model) is currently in operation in Lithuania, given the exhaustive list of the persons entitled to apply for non-pecuniary damages, which has been established by the current wording of the PTŽSAĮ, however, according to the authors of the article, by abolishing the exhaustive list of persons entitled to claim compensation for non-pecuniary damages and allowing all persons who have suffered damages as a result of inadequate provision of healthcare to a patient to claim compensation on the basis of the model of no-fault compensation (the administrative model), it would be reasonable to say that the model of no-fault compensation (administrative model), which has been put into force, has indeed changed (is in a position to change) the model of judicial action. Having established that there is reason to believe that the model of no-fault compensation (administrative model) will completely replace the model of judicial action in the future, the authors of the article draw attention to the existence of legal issues related to the implementation of the principle of full compensation in the event of the death of a foetus. Having established that a foetus has a limited right to health and life from the 12th week of pregnancy and a full right to life from the 22nd week of pregnancy, but there is currently no legislation in Lithuania to protect the health of the foetus, it can be concluded such situation raises the problem of the implementation of the principle of full compensation for damages. One potential solution to the problem could be the application of a legal fiction in relation to the foetus in the context of the PTŽSAĮ, as this would ensure the foetus’ right to life and health and justice.Sveikata yra viena svarbiausių individo ir visuomenės vertybių, sąlygojanti specifinio teisinio reguliavimo ir žalos kompensavimo modelio, geriausiai atliepiančio individo ir visuomenės interesus, poreikį. Lietuvoje nuo 2020 m. sausio 1 d. įsigaliojus naujai PTŽSAĮ redakcijai buvo įtvirtintas žalos atlyginimo be kaltės modelis (administracinis modelis). Analizuojant naujai įsigaliojusio žalos atlyginimo be kaltės modelio (administracinio modelio) ir iki tol galiojusio teisminio ieškinio modelio santykį, matyti, jog teigti, kad Lietuvoje šiuo metu veikia tik žalos atlyginimo be kaltės modelis (administracinis modelis), neleidžia galiojančioje PTŽSAĮ redakcijoje įtvirtintas baigtinis asmenų, turinčių teisę kreiptis dėl neturtinės žalos atlyginimo, sąrašas. Tačiau straipsnio autorių vertinimu, panaikinus baigtinį asmenų, turinčių teisę kreiptis dėl neturtinės žalos atlyginimo, sąrašą ir suteikus galimybę visiems dėl pacientui netinkamai suteiktų sveikatos priežiūros paslaugų žalą patyrusiems asmenims gauti žalos atlyginimą žalos atlyginimo be kaltės modelio (administracinio modelio) pagrindu, galima būtų teigti, jog įsigaliojęs žalos atlyginimo be kaltės modelis (administracinis modelis) iš tikrųjų pakeitė (gali pakeisti) teisminį ieškinio modelį. Konstatavus, kad yra pagrindo teigti, jog žalos atlyginimo be kaltės modelis (administracinis modelis) ateityje visiškai pakeis teisminį ieškinio modelį, straipsnio autoriai atkreipia dėmesį į problematikos, susijusios su visiško žalos kompensavimo principo įgyvendinimu vaisiaus žuvimo atveju, egzistavimą. Nustačius, jog vaisius nuo 12 nėštumo savaitės turi ribotą, o nuo 22 nėštumo savaitės pilnavertišką teisę į sveikatą ir gyvybę, bet šiuo metu Lietuvoje neegzistuoja įstatyminis reguliavimas, įtvirtinantis vaisiaus sveikatos apsaugą, susiduriama su visiško žalos kompensavimo principo įgyvendinimo problematika. Vienas iš potencialių problematikos sprendimo būdų galėtų būti teisinės fikcijos vaisiaus atžvilgiu taikymas PTŽSAĮ kontekste, nes taip būtų užtikrinama vaisiaus teisė į gyvybę ir sveikatą bei teisingumas
Teisinė aklavietė įmonėje: akcininkų ginčų sprendimo būdai
Get PDFThis paper draws on foreign doctrine and Lithuanian case law to present the concept of legal deadlock, analyses the judicial methods of resolving legal deadlock, and presents the most common contractual methods of resolving deadlock in shareholders’ agreements. The relationship between an option and a preliminary agreement and the criteria for distinguishing between them are described on the basis of Lithuanian court interpretations. It also analyses the operation of the freedom of contract principle within the framework of shareholders’ agreements, based on Lithuanian case law and compared with the position of the Italian courts. It also describes the problems of the practicability of the option, taking into account the categories of inviolability of property and public interest. The analysis of these aspects leads to the conclusion that an option contract can be enforced in kind, but that the courts do not provide effective practical mechanisms to force a party to sign the contract.Šiame darbe remiantis užsienio doktrina ir Lietuvos teismų praktika pateikiama teisinės aklavietės samprata, analizuojami teisminiai teisinės aklavietės sprendimo būdai, pateikiami dažniausiai akcininkų sutartyse numatomi sutartiniai jos sprendimo mechanizmai. Remiantis Lietuvos teismų išaiškinimais, aprašomas opciono ir preliminariosios sutarties santykis bei jų atskyrimo kriterijai. Taip pat analizuojamas laisvės sutarties principo veikimas akcininkų susitarimų ribose, remiantis Lietuvos teismų praktika ir lyginant su Italijos teismų pozicija. Aprašoma ir opciono praktinio įgyvendinamumo problematika, atsižvelgiant į nuosavybės neliečiamumo ir viešojo intereso kategorijas. Išanalizavus minėtus aspektus, darytina išvada, jog opciono sutartis gali būti įgyvendinta natūra, tačiau teismai nepateikia veiksmingų praktinių mechanizmų, kaip šalį priversti pasirašyti sutartį
Учебная метафора в польской прессе: об одном из способов представления политической ситуации Польши в начале российско-украинской войны
Get PDFThe following paper investigates the topic of educational metaphors about the Russia–Ukraine War in Polish press articles. Educational metaphor relates to the use of concepts connected with schooling or teaching in order to describe other concepts. The research material is composed of texts published after 24 February 2022 in the following newspapers: Do Rzeczy, Gazeta Polska, Polityka, and Krytyka Polityczna. This article aims to present one of the metaphorical mappings together with its critical analysis with the use of the conceptual metaphor theory (Лакофф, Джонсон 2004) and critical metaphor analysis (Charteris-Black 2004). According to the research, the trichotomy which includes the Polish Government, the opposition parties, and the Polish society may be distinguished in the Polish press. Amidst these oppositions, the metaphorical mapping is discerned, according to which the war is understood as the teacher, the politicians and society as the students, and the help offered to Ukraine is interpreted as the examination. Assessment of the actions undertaken by the Government, the opposition parties and the society has been the subject of the ideological and political profile of a particular magazine.В настоящей статье рассматривается учебная метафорика в польских публикациях о российско-украинской войне. Под учебной метафорой понимается употребление понятий, связанных с обучением, для описания других понятий. Материал исследования составляют тексты, опубликованные после 24 февраля 2022 г. в следующих газетах: „Do Rzeczy”, „Gazeta Polska”, „Polityka”, „Krytyka Polityczna”. Цель статьи состоит в том, чтобы представить одну метафорическую проекцию и ее критический анализ при помощи концептуальной теории метафоры (Лакофф, Джонсон, 2004) и критического анализа метафоры (Charteris-Black, 2004). Согласно исследованию, в польской прессе присутствуют три различные группы, включающие польское правительство, оппозиционные партии и польское общество. На фоне этих противопоставлений выделяется метафорическая проекция, в рамках которой война осмысливается как учитель, политики и общество – как ученики, а помощь Украине – как экзамен. Оценка действий правительства, оппозиционных партий и общества зависела от идейно-политического направления данного издания