Lithuanian court rejects Belarusian spy’s €100,000 compensation claim

A Lithuanian regional administrative court has dismissed a complaint from convicted Belarusian spy Mantas Danielius, who sought €100,000 in non-pecuniary damages and demanded authorities initiate a prisoner exchange with Minsk, LRT reports.

Danielius, currently serving a prison sentence for espionage on behalf of Belarus, had filed the claim on May 19–20, 2025, arguing that Lithuanian citizens were also imprisoned in Belarus for spying for Vilnius. He urged President Gitanas Nausėda to arrange a swap.

The court ruled that the Presidential Chancellery’s May 30, 2025, response—acknowledging receipt of his request—was purely informational and carried no legal consequences, dismissing his demand to annul it. Judges also clarified that administrative courts lack authority to compel the presidency to initiate spy exchanges, as such decisions fall under the president’s exclusive constitutional prerogative.

Having found no unlawful actions by the respondents, the court rejected Danielius’s €100,000 compensation claim. The ruling may be appealed.