Lithuania has stripped Algirdas Švanius of his Lithuanian citizenship by the order of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Agnes Bilotaitė.
This action comes after Švanius crossed the border irregularly and after it was revealed that he also holds Russian citizenship, a violation of Lithuania’s Citizenship Law, which prohibits dual citizenship.
By order of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Agnes Bilotaitė, Algirdas Švanius was deprived of his citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania after it became clear that he is also a citizen of another state – the Russian Federation.
The decision to revoke Švanius’ Lithuanian citizenship stems from an incident that took place on August 27 of this year.
Back in August, Švanius crossed the Lithuanian border irregularly with a minor child who is a citizen of Lithuania born in 2022.
The breach of the border rules pushed the authorities to carry out an investigation into Švanius’ status, revealing dual citizenship, a clear violation of the country’s legal framework.
In line with the current Citizenship Law of Lithuania, no one is permitted to hold dual citizenship. The authorities note that Lithuania’s decision not to permit dual citizenship is linked to the country’s attempt to maintain the integrity of the nation’s citizenship and prevent potential conflicts of interest.
Moreover, the authorities have stressed that the decision to strip Švanius of his Lithuanian citizenship is in line with the legal provisions that are currently in place.
As LRT explains, Švanys crossed the Lithuanian border to enter Russia using an inflatable boat. He had an identity document for the child without the knowledge of the mother, who has custody of the child.
Back when this event took place, Minister Bilotaitė said that there was a loophole in the legislation of Lithuania. She further stressed that all relevant institutions will come up with solutions so that similar situations do not take place in the future.
On the day that the child was taken to Russia, Švanys was supposed to take care of her for some hours and then return her back. However, Švanys did not return the child at the agreed time, and the mother called the police to report the case.
Later on, it was found out that Švanys crossed the border with the child. Following steps taken by the authorities, the child was returned to her mother on September 5, and then the two returned to Lithuania together.
