U.N. In their preliminary observations following the country visit to Lithuania the Working Group notes with concern that, despite the unanimous recognition by multiple international mechanisms of Lithuania’s involvement in the extraordinary renditions programme, which entailed the enforced disappearance of at least five individuals, there has not been until today an official acknowledgment by Lithuanian authorities of their international responsibility, nor have they issued any public apologies to the persons concerned. This lack of recognition jeopardises the right to know the truth, both in its individual and collective dimensions, and has implications also in terms of guarantees of non-repetition.
Lithuania continuously denies its participation in the CIA extraordinary renditions programme despite multiple findings to the contrary by international courts and mechanisms concerned. Such denial may constitute a violation of the right to redress of the victims as well as the procedural obligation to prevent impunity. We appreciate having the opportunity to contribute to the conclusions reached by the Group.
In its preliminary report Working group also highlighted that the practice of pushbacks raises grave concerns, as it effectively removes the persons subjected to it from the protection of the law and exposes them to a heightened risk of disappearance. The observations also underline the capital importance of proper investigations when those reportedly disappeared belong to especially vulnerable groups, including women, children and migrants.
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