We have won a case against State Security Department and Migration Department
We have won a case against State Security Department and Migration Department
On 13 September 2023 Vilnius Administrative Court has issued a ruling in a case on renewal of residence permit for a Belarussian citizen annulling the decision of the Migration Department, which has refused to renew the residence permit on basis of the fact that Belarusian citizen has not passed through the security check of the State Security Department of Lithuania.
This has been a landmark case in several senses. On the one hand, the case had to be argued against State Security Department of Lithuania, which is the most powerful intelligence agency of Lithuania. On the other hand, it concerned human rights issues and fundamental rights violation.
Dr. Gudas comments: “Usually I do not work on migration cases, but this case has taken my attention, as I could not believe that in a country like Lithuania, which enshrines rule of law and respects democratic values, a decision against a migrant who has settled in the country, is taken and enforced without any reasonable evidence. I am very glad that the court has supported our position, though the case questioned the legitimacy of intelligence data gathered by the State Security Department of Lithuania”.