Lithuania: ECHR grants damages to Saudi held at secret CIA prison

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has awarded EUR 100,000 in compensation to Saudi Arabian national Mustafa Al-Hawsawi for his unlawful detention at a secret CIA prison in Lithuania in 2005-2006, BNS reports. The court found that Lithuania was responsible for violating Al-Hawsawi’s rights. Lithuania will comply with the ECHR ruling and pay the…

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Lithuania: Court rejects Belarusian activist’s asylum appeal

Lithuania’s Supreme Administrative Court has upheld a lower court decision not to grant asylum to Belarusian activist Volha Karach, BNS reports. Earlier, the Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD) rejected Karach’s asylum application on national security grounds, citing a report from the State Security Department (VSD), which pointed to the applicant’s links to Russian intelligence. Nevertheless, LMD…

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Lithuania: Court sides with Russian barred over national security

Lithuania’s Vilnius Regional Administrative Court has upheld an appeal annulling the Lithuanian Migration Department’s (LMD) decision to revoke the permanent residence permit of a Russian citizen on national security grounds, BNS reports. Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) found out that the applicant had worked at a prison colony in Sakhalin until 2002. However, the court…

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Lithuania: Belarusian activist denied asylum on national security grounds

The Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD) has refused to grant asylum to Belarusian activist Volha Karach on national security grounds, LRT reports. The State Security Department (VSD) revealed that Karach had cooperated with Russian intelligence services, providing them with information about the Belarusian regime and opposition. In exchange, Russian intelligence services helped Karach manage her image….

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Lithuania: Parents who abducted kids linked to “sovereign” movement

A Lithuanian family who abducted their children from temporary foster care are linked to the so-called “sovereign citizen movement” (SovCits), according to the State Security Department (VSD), LRT reports. VSD said that the SovCits are guided by an “anti-state extremist ideology” that denies the legitimacy of the state. The children were taken into foster care…

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Lithuania: Russian citizen loses residence permit for spreading Russian propaganda

The Lithuanian Migration Department (LMD) has revoked the residence permit of a Russian citizen, Vladimir Vodo, after the State Security Department (VSD) said that he posed a threat to national security, BNS reports. Vodo claims to be a journalist, yet spreads pro-Russian propaganda on social media and has contacts with Russian and Belarusian intelligence services, VSD…

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Lithuania: Intelligence probes leak of NATO summit security details

Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) is investigating an alleged leak of classified information about the organisation and security plans of the NATO summit in Vilnius, BNS reports. Earlier, a group of hackers called “From Russia With Love” posted information on social media networks, which they said were names of officials in charge of the summit,…

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