In a landmark decision, Lithuania’s Supreme Administrative Court has accepted a class action lawsuit from 24 asylum seekers who were detained unlawfully between 2021 and 2022. Amnesty International has lauded the ruling as a crucial step toward justice and accountability for human rights violations against refugees in Lithuania.
The case stems from Lithuania’s response to an influx of irregular crossings at the Belarusian border in 2021, during which the government declared a state of emergency. Under these conditions, many refugees—primarily from countries like Syria, Iraq, and Cameroon—were detained in prison-like centers. They faced harsh conditions, including harassment, and were denied the ability to challenge their detention.
The asylum seekers filed the lawsuit in June 2024, seeking compensation for the prolonged arbitrary detention. Initially, their case was dismissed by a Regional Administrative Court for lack of detention orders. However, the claimants appealed, arguing that Lithuanian authorities failed to provide the necessary documentation, violating their right to an effective judicial remedy. This argument was accepted by an appeals court, and the Supreme Administrative Court upheld the ruling, allowing the class action to proceed.
Amnesty International criticized Lithuania’s policies during this period, particularly those that sanctioned automatic detention and pushed back refugees attempting to cross the border. The organization highlighted the inability of detainees to challenge their imprisonment during the first six months, despite EU laws and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights prohibiting such practices. In 2022, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Lithuania’s automatic detention law violated EU law, and Lithuania’s Constitutional Court also found that the law breached the country’s constitutional right to liberty.
Asylum seekers who were detained under these conditions have until June 10 to join the class action and seek reparations for the harm caused by their unlawful detention.
Lithuanian Supreme Court Picture by Vilnietis on Wikipedia
