Asta Skaisgirytė, the Lithuanian president's chief foreign policy aide, on Tuesday questioned whether Lithuania should automatically appeal to the US following the latest European Court of Human Rights ruling over a CIA prison.
Last week, the European Court of Human Rights awarded the Saudi national Abd al-Rahim Hussein al-Nashiri €30,000 over his unlawful detention in a secret American prison in Lithuania two decades ago. The court also ordered the Lithuanian authorities to seek assurances from Washington that the terrorism suspect would not face the death penalty.
"We should definitely discuss this issue thoroughly [regarding the appeal to the US - BNS]. I would not be certain that we should apply automatically, as there are certain circumstances in the case where I do not know why we should influence the US authorities on this matter," Skaisgirytė told Žinių Radijas on Tuesday.
"However, discussions have not yet taken place, so I will not rush the answer," she added.
At the same time, she confirmed that Lithuania would pay the compensation awarded by the European Court of Human Rights, although she expressed doubts about certain moral aspects of the ruling.
