Lithuania to enforce ECHR ruling on secret CIA prison

Lithuania will comply with a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) concerning a secret CIA prison on its territory, the Ministry of Justice confirmed on Saturday, as reported by LRT.

The case marks the third time Lithuania has lost a legal battle at the Strasbourg-based court over the facility. In its latest decision, the ECHR found that Saudi national Abdas Al Rahimas Husseinas Al Nashiri, accused of terrorism links to Al Qaeda, was unlawfully detained in a CIA-run prison in Lithuania between 2005 and 2006.

The court ordered Lithuania to pay Al Nashiri €30,000 in compensation and to seek assurances from the US that he would not face the death penalty. Božena Zaborovska-Zdanovič, an advisor to Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė, noted that Lithuania had successfully reduced the compensation amount by three times in this case. Similar obligations have been imposed on Poland and Romania in past rulings.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the Foreign Ministry has already sent diplomatic notes to the US, drawing attention to the ECHR decision and Lithuania’s obligations under it. The content of these communications remains confidential.

Presidential advisor Asta Skaisgirytė stated this week that Lithuania would enforce the court’s ruling but questioned whether another investigation into the prison’s existence would provide further clarity.

This is the third case Lithuania has lost at the ECHR over the CIA prison. In 2018, the court ruled that a secret CIA detention site operated in Lithuania between 2005 and 2006, where Palestinian Abu Zubaydah was held. In 2024, Saudi national Mustafa al-Hawsawi was awarded €100,000 for his unlawful detention.

The ECHR, established in 1959, is an international court that rules on violations of civil and political rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. Based in Strasbourg, France, it ensures compliance with the convention’s provisions by member states.