12-year-old girl brutally attacked by teenagers in Lithuanian park; petition gathers over 66,000 signatures
A 12-year-old girl was severely beaten and humiliated by a group of teenagers in Marijampolė, Lithuania, with the attack filmed and posted online. Her mother has started a petition urging stronger liability for minors.
An attack in mid-July in a Marijampolė park left a 12-year-old girl hospitalised in Kaunas after her condition deteriorated. The violent incident, which took place on 15 July, has shocked Lithuania, not least because the attackers filmed the abuse and shared it on social media.
The girl’s family lawyer, Gintaras Černiauskas, told Lrytas.lt that the child is suffering from headaches and other symptoms that worsened after the assault, as well as severe stress. Since the victim has been receiving treatment for more than ten days, the lawyer said he would ask investigators to add charges related to causing a health impairment. Depending on how long treatment lasts, the case could be reclassified.
During the attack, the girl was hit dozens of times, kicked, beaten with fists and struck with a phone. Laughter and encouragement to keep going could be heard, with those filming and watching urging the violence on. According to initial information, two teenage girls – one aged 13 and another teenage girl – carried out the physical assault. In total, eight girls and boys took part in the attack; the rest watched, filmed or encouraged it.
Police have identified all those involved. The 13-year-old is unlikely to face criminal liability because of her age, but the group also includes teenagers over 16, who can be prosecuted under Lithuanian law. No charges have been filed yet; interrogations and other investigative steps are under way, and decisions on charges and possible reclassification will follow.
The attack may have been planned. There had been disagreements on social media before the assault, but the girl herself reportedly wrote nothing offensive; instead she was mocked and insulted, and later beaten.
The mother of the victim has called on the public to sign a petition to the Lithuanian Seimas asking for a review of laws regulating the criminal liability of minors for cruel and violent crimes. The petition argues that the age of offenders should not be a reason to underestimate the danger of such acts, and that while resocialisation is important, victims’ rights, public safety and justice must also be protected. More than 66,000 people have already signed.
