RFE/RL - 5 June 2002
Posted 5 June 2002 on Religioscope

The Lithuanian parliament has adopted a new version of the law on the secret service, which does not ban recruitment of high-ranking state officials, lawyers, journalists, and priests by security services.

The law does ban searches of the president, a representative of the National Security and Defense Committee told Interfax on 31 May. When asked whether the chairman of the parliament, the prime minister, or parliamentarians may be exempt from searches, the official said that the law only specified the president. Under the new law, searches are aimed at preventing crimes and protecting the constitutional system, independence, and other important national security interests and cannot violate human rights and freedoms. However, under this law, certain restrictions of these rights and freedoms may be used temporarily and only as provided for by law.

Some parliamentarians protested against the use of priests as secret agents. The parliamentarians believe that this will make confessions problematic, as "you will never know if the person you are confessing to is a secret agent or not." The new version of the law goes into effect on 1 June.

(Interfax, BNS, 31 May 2002)