Lithuanian President Nausėda Denies CIA Prison Existed in Country

President Gitanas Nausėda stated in an interview with BNS on Tuesday that he sees no need for a new investigation into claims of a CIA secret prison in Lithuania. He expressed confidence in previous inquiries that found no evidence of such a facility. "Honestly, I don't know how further investigations could add to this story, which has already been evaluated in investigations that concluded no such prison existed. I very much doubt that new investigations could change anything," Nausėda said.

The president's remarks come after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled last week that Saudi Arabian national Abdalrahim Hussein al Nashiri was illegally held in a CIA prison in Lithuania in 2005-2006. The court ordered Lithuania to pay al Nashiri €30,000 in compensation and to request assurances from the United States that he will not face the death penalty.

Nausėda acknowledged that court rulings must be implemented but noted that the part requiring approaching the US needs "further consultations." He emphasized that such an action could be seen as interference in another country's internal affairs, so a decision must consider all legal and political aspects.

This is the third similar ECHR ruling against Lithuania. In 2018, the court found that a CIA prison operated in Lithuania in 2005-2006 where Palestinian Abu Zubaydah was detained, ordering €130,000 in compensation. In 2024, Lithuania was ordered to pay €100,000 to Saudi Arabian Mustafa al Hawsawi for illegal detention in a suspected CIA prison.

Lithuanian officials have consistently denied the existence of a CIA prison, claiming that Americans transported communications equipment, not prisoners, to Lithuania. A building in Antaviliai, 15 km from Vilnius, was described as an intelligence support center that was never used for its intended purpose. However, the ECHR has repeatedly concluded otherwise, relying on reports from human rights organizations.