Lithuanian prosecution says US unable to provide information on alleged CIA prison

The Lithuanian Prosecutor General’s Office has confirmed that a pre-trial investigation into the alleged operation of a US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) prison in Lithuania is ongoing, but requests for legal assistance to the US and other countries have yielded no significant information, LRT reports.

Elena Martinonienė, head of the Communications Division at the Prosecutor General’s Office, stated that the investigation is being conducted under a criminal code article covering responsibility for violations of international law involving the treatment of individuals.

“During the investigation, requests for international legal assistance were sent to the US, Poland, Romania, and other states, but no significant information for the investigation was received,” Martinonienė said.

She added that no charges have been brought against anyone in the pre-trial investigation so far.

Lithuanian prosecutors have repeatedly contacted the US Department of Justice, requesting additional information about the alleged detention of individuals in Lithuania or their transportation through the country. However, responses from the US Department of Justice stated that the US has no means to obtain the requested information or execute legal assistance requests, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office representative.

Martinonienė noted that part of the pre-trial investigation material is classified as state or official secrets, meaning details about the progress of the investigation, the legal assistance requests sent, their quantity, the responses received, other obtained information, the procedural actions taken, or the results of this investigation cannot be disclosed or published.

The pre-trial investigation into the possible CIA prison in Lithuania was launched in 2010 but was later discontinued. It was resumed in early 2015 and initially focused on abuse of office. This investigation was later merged with another pre-trial investigation launched in the summer of 2014 into the unlawful transportation of people across the state border. In 2018, the investigation was reclassified and is now being conducted under the article covering violations of international law involving the treatment of individuals.

Discussions about the possible CIA prison in Lithuania resurfaced following a new ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in early July. The ECHR found that Saudi national Abdas Al Rahimas Husseinas Al Nashiri, suspected of terrorism in the Al Qaeda group, was unlawfully detained in an American prison in Lithuania between 2005 and 2006.

Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has stated that Lithuania must investigate the allegations. “I think this is a matter of Lithuania’s honour to answer this question. We have no right to leave it covered up, because this cover-up casts a shadow on everyone who holds any position in the state – whether they were in the past or are now,” Budrys said in an interview with Redakcija.

However, the President’s Office has questioned the need for another investigation. Asta Skaisgirytė, the chief advisor to President Gitanas Nausėda, previously stated that an additional investigation would not bring more clarity. Virginijus Sinkevičius, chairman of the ruling Democratic Union “For Lithuania”, also believes that a new investigation into the alleged CIA prison is necessary.