Mantas Adomėnas (born 1 October 1972) is a Lithuanian

classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

and politician. He was first elected to the

Seimas The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (), or simply the Seimas ( ; ), is the unicameralism, unicameral legislative body of the Lithuania, Republic of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of Government of Lithuania, govern ...

in 2008 and served until 2020. He earned a Ph.D. degree in

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. His best known work is probably the article ''The Fluctuating Fortunes of Heraclitus in Plato.'' Adomėnas was designated as the Vice Chairman of the Homeland Union in 2017. He ran for a Seimas seat as an independent in 2020 and lost but was selected as deputy minister of foreign affairs in December 2020 by Gabrielius Landsbergis. He resigned in August 2023 following his arrest and a €800 fine for

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...

. He remains member of the European Council of Foreign Relations, a leftwing thinktank. Adomėnas assumed position of

secretary general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

of the

Community of Democracies The Community of Democracies (C.O.D), established in 2000, is an intergovernmental coalition of states. Its aim is to bring together governments, civil society and the private sector in the pursuit of the common goal of supporting democratic rul ...

, a coalition of 30 member states, from 1 September 2024.

Influence peddling, other allegations

While Vice Chairman of Homeland Union Adomėnas was stripped of party membership in 2018 after being found guilty by party governance organs of

influence peddling Influence peddling, also called traffic of influence or trading in influence, is the practice of using one's influence in government or connections with authorities to obtain favours or preferential treatment for another, usually in return for ...

for MG Baltic, a business conglomerate with perceived

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n connections, with the aim of facilitating “capture of the party” by the business group. It has also been alleged, and admitted by Adomėnas, that his wife had organized crime connections in her youth in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

while running an

antiques An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

business there, specifically to and his circle. She hails from a family who were extremely privileged in the

Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; ; ), also known as Soviet Lithuania or simply Lithuania, was ''de facto'' one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union between 1940–1941 and 1944 ...

as managers of a luxury fur company.

Misogyny accusations

During a parliamentary sitting in 2010 Adomėnas publicly called a fellow MP Birutė Vėsaitė “vištų višta” (literally, a hen's hen), inviting accusations of misogyny. He apologized 2 days later.

Support for Taiwan, Hong Kong independence

Adomėnas is a supporter of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

independence movements. He organized a rally with slightly over 100 participants on 23 August 2019, during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, in solidarity with a protest in Hong Kong named the "

Baltic Way The Baltic Way (; ; ) or Baltic Chain (also "Chain of Freedom") was a peaceful political demonstration that occurred on 23 August 1989. Approximately two million people joined their hands to form a human chain spanning across the three Baltic ...

". During the rally, Adomėnas decried a group of about a dozen counter-protesters as having been "hired". Since March 2021 Adomėnas has been member of Lithuania-Taiwan Forum, an NGO supporting

Taiwan independence Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of Chi ...

Gintaras Steponavičius Gintaras Steponavičius (born 23 July 1967 in Klaipėda) is a Lithuanian former Liberal politician, retiring from politics in 2020. He was member of the Seimas and Senior Deputy Chair of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement Party. Steponavičius was t ...

, accused in the Liberal Party bribery case on behalf of MG Baltic, is also part of the initiative. On 18 April 2024 Adomėnas was conferred Taiwan's Medal of Diplomacy by president

Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...

. In 2020 he had called for Lithuania to switch recognition from

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

to Taiwan. His daughter's studies at NTU on Taiwanese government scholarship in 2017-18 have also raised questions about possible conflict of interest.

Literary career

In 2023, Mantas Adomėnas published his first fiction book, an intellectual spy novel Moneta & labirintas (The Coin & the Labyrinth). The novel quickly gained critical acclaim, winning the prestigious 2023 Book of the Year award. The second part of the novel was released in 2024 and the dilogy is currently being translated into Latvian language. Adomėnas's novel is praised for its intricate narrative and deep intellectual layers, blending elements of espionage with philosophical and historical insights. Critics have compared his work to that of

John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. A "sophist ...

and

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian Medieval studies, medievalist, philosopher, Semiotics, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular ...

, highlighting its complexity and the seamless integration of historical and fictional elements.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adomėnas, Mantas Members of the Seimas Politicians from Vilnius 1972 births Living people Lithuanian scholars of ancient Greek philosophy Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Vilnius University alumni Members of the International Steering Committee of the Community of Democracies 21st-century Lithuanian politicians