On Thursday 27 June, with the support of Amnesty International, a group of 24 people filed a class action requesting compensation for their prolonged arbitrary detention in Lithuania in 2021/22, following the declaration of an ‘emergency’ prescribing the automatic detention of people irregularly crossing the border with Belarus. The case was presented to the Regional…
Attempting to legalize pushbacks of asylum seekers at Lithuania’s borders would green-light torture, Amnesty International said today ahead of this week’s expected vote in the Lithuanian Parliament on a bill that aims to legalize summary returns under domestic legislation. If passed, amendments to the Lithuanian Law on the State Border and its Protection would effectively…
Responding to the Court of Justice of the European Union’s finding today that Lithuanian national law, which orders the automatic detention of people who cross irregularly into the country and effectively denies them the right to asylum, is incompatible with EU laws, said Nils Muižnieks, Europe Regional Director of Amnesty International: “The Court of Justice of…
New report details abuses against people who crossed into Lithuania from Belarus Treatment starkly contrasts with reception of people arriving from Ukraine EU Commission not fulfilling its duties under EU law Spokespeople available Lithuanian authorities have arbitrarily detained thousands of people in militarized centres, where they have been subjected to inhumane conditions, torture and other…
21/02/2014 – Amnesty International has welcomed the decision of the Lithuanian Prosecutor General to open an investigation into the alleged rendition to Lithuania of Mustafa al-Hawsawi. The decision comes after the Vilnius Regional Court ruled on 28 January that al-Hawsawi had a right to an investigation of his claims.
Action in Vilnius, 2011, calling on the Lithuanian President to re-open the criminal investigation into the CIA operated renditions and secret prisons in Lithuania © Amnesty International The Lithuanian court has set an example for all of Europe and the USA by upholding the rule of law and recognising that victims of torture and enforced…
29/10/2013 – In July, Amnesty International issued recommendations as to how the Lithuanian EU presidency might maximise its potential to promote human rights both within and beyond EU borders.
© Amnesty International It is shameful that the EU’s six million Roma still face systematic discrimination, and are often targets of racially motivated violence. Lithuania now can and must ensure that the expected Council recommendations on Roma integration measures tackle discrimination and guarantee Roma participation at all levels of decision-making AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE …
Amnesty International MEDIA ADVISORY Spokesperson availability on recommendations to the Lithuanian EU Presidency: mid-term review (Brussels, 24 October 2013) As Lithuania reaches the mid-point of its European Union (EU) presidency, Amnesty International will meet ministers in Vilnius on Friday 25 October. We will discuss Lithuania’s progress in implementing our recommendations to promote…
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE "Disappeared ”: Accountability for CIA Secret Detention Centres in Lithuania (Brussels, 26 September 2013) With a new victim claiming that he was held in Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) secret detention in Lithuania, Amnesty International is urging authorities in Vilnius to renew and redouble their efforts to investigate the country’s…
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE Lithuanian EU presidency must ensure accountability for human rights abuses (Brussels, 11 July 2013) As Lithuania assumes the six-monthly rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time, Amnesty International has today delivered its recommendations to the Lithuanian EU presidency to the Chancellor of the…
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE Lithuania must come clean on CIA prisons (Brussels, 19 May 2011) A report published today by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has criticised Lithuania’s Prosecutor General for failing to investigate fully whether CIA detainees were held and ill-treated in secret detention facilities on Lithuanian soil. The Committee…