Thousands protest in Lithuania against changes to public broadcaster law

Around 10,000 people gathered outside Lithuania's parliament to protest fast-tracked changes to the law governing the public broadcaster.

Demonstrators said the amendments threaten free speech and weaken the independence of Lithuanian National Radio and Television during a tense political crisis.

The ruling coalition wants to lower the threshold for dismissing the LRT director general. Under the proposal, the governing board could vote by secret ballot and remove the head with fewer votes and broader grounds.

Critics say the move targets the current director.