Lietuva in brief

Soviet-era statues removed from Green Bridge in Vilnius

On the night of July 18/19, the Soviet-era statues were removed from the Green Bridge in central Vilnius by the city’s municipality.
The eight figures, depicting Red Army soldiers, students, farm workers and peasants, had stood on the bridge since 1952.
According to Vilnius Municipality, they were taken away in the interest of public health and safety due to their decaying state.The future of the statues is still unknown, and will be decided in autumn this year.
However, one possibility is selling them to the Kaliningrad city of Sovetsk. Another is trading them with Russia in exchange for 16th century Lithuanian statues held in the country.
      
Lithuanian MEPs nominate Boris Nemtsov for Sakharov prize

A group of Lithuanian Members of the European Parliament have nominated murdered Putin opponent Boris Nemtsov for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The three MEPs were Petras Austrevicius, Antanas Guoga and Valentinas Mazuronis.
Austrevicius believes Nemtsov deserves the award due to his fighting for a democratic and prosperous Russia.
Nemtsov, one of the biggest critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was gunned down by the Kremlin on February 27, 2015.
The Sakharov Prize was established in 1988, and is awarded to individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to the fight for human rights across the globe.