GagWatch

Back in January, the Catholic Church in Lithuania sued MTV Lietuva for transmitting Popetown, complaining that it somehow “violated” the rights of the faithful.

Now, Lithuania’s 13 member Radio and Television Commission has imposed a fine (via) of 3000 litas (€870) on Marius Veselis, the director of MTV Networks Baltic for airing the programme.

A spokeswoman for MTV Lietuva said Mr Veselis would appeal.

The commission made its decision after the Inspector of Journalists’ Ethics, Romas Gudaitis, said Popetown should be banned because it portrayed the clergy as destructive and incited religious discrimination.

MTV has described Mr Gudaitis’s stand as an attempt to limit freedom of expression and thought, and rejected suggestions that Popetown insulted Catholics. And, in a statement issued last month, Mr Veselis said that the reaction to Popetown had unmasked Lithuania as a “sort of half-medieval, half-communist, sick culture”.

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