LONDON: Amnesty International has accused Lithuanian authorities of arbitrarily detaining thousands of migrants in military centers, treating them with “inhumane treatment” and torturing them.
Amnesty International released a report detailing how refugees and migrants have been held in prison-like facilities in Lithuania for months, where they are denied proper asylum procedures and subjected to serious human rights violations.
Amnesty International interviewed dozens of refugees from Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Many have reported being beaten, humiliated and subjected to racially motivated intimidation and harassment by guards.
They also complained of inadequate access to sanitation facilities and health care. “In Iraq, we hear about human rights and women’s rights in Europe. But there are no rights here,” said a Yazidi woman who was detained at Amnesty at the Medininkai Detention Center.
This treatment is in stark contrast to the treatment of those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
“While Lithuania warmly welcomes thousands of people fleeing Ukraine, the experience of the detainees we spoke with could not be more different. This raises serious concerns about the institutional racism underlying Lithuania’s migration system,” said Nils Muineks, Amnesty International’s regional director for Europe.
In July 2021, lawmakers passed new legislation to detain people who enter Lithuanian territory irregularly.
To evade EU legal safeguards against arbitrary detention, Lithuanian authorities describe such detention as “temporary accommodation”.
Detainees interviewed by Amnesty International reported aggressive behavior from the center’s guards when they protested the appalling conditions of detention.
The officers retaliated by thrashing them with batons, spraying them with pepper and using taser guns.
The alleged sexual violence against the detainees is being investigated under the supervision of a psychologist working at the centre.
Amnesty International also documented how racial detainees, particularly black men and women, were subjected to highly aggressive racist abuses.
Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence released today by Amnesty and other international organizations and local groups over the past year, the European Parliament claims there is no concrete evidence of violations of these international and EU law.
Speaking to Euronews, Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotite said that the report “reflects only the views and evidence of one side,” and that Lithuania “continues to cooperate with all human rights institutions and organizations and the principles of open dialogue”. obeys”. did. The rule of law.”