Liudmila Petkevičiūtė, the writer’s daughter, turned to the Strasbourg court after the Lithuanian Supreme Court’s ruling that the book entitled “Durnių Laivas” (The Ship of Idiots) insulted the honor and dignity of Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis and his son.
Petkevičius died in December 2008. The Supreme Court stated seven years ago that Petkevičius’ children had accepted their father’s inheritance, including the rights to the book, and thus they had the obligation to ensure that these statements were not reproduced.
in his book, Petkevičius called Landsbergis-Žemkalnis “Hitler’s friend” and claimed that he had collaborated with the KGB. Lithuanian courts have ruled that these statements are not true.