Relatives of Egle Kusaite believe that she confessed of terrorism under pressure

Today at a press conference, relatives of Egle Kusaite, a native of Klaipeda, said that her confession about intention to commit a terror act in Chechnya was "drawn out" of the girl by means of psychological and physical violence.

Algimantas Klyunka, chief public prosecutor of the Department for Fighting Organized Crime and Corruption, said at the same press conference that Kusaite had confessed that she wanted to go to Russia, then to Chechnya, where she wanted to blow herself up in some crowded place. He also said that the Kusaite's detained accomplices had allegedly confirmed that they wanted to take the girl to the camp where military terrorists are trained.

"Kusaite is suspected of establishing contacts in June-October 2009 with Islamic groupings operating in Russia. She received an invitation to come to Russia, was given 500 US dollars on tickets, took her Lithuanian passport and received Russian visa," said the public prosecutor and added that employees of the Department of State security of Lithuania and the Prosecutor's Office addressed the Russian embassy in writing asking them not to give visa to her. But when the visa was issued, on October 29, 2009, Kusaite was detained. As reported by the Baltic information resource called DELFI with reference to the public prosecutor, the girl's evidences were videoed, and there is also an audio record of her confession.

Egle's mother Virginia Kusene and aunt Irena Elenyauskaite named the prosecutor's statements a lie. According to their assertions, Kusaite was deliberately drawn by employees of the Lithuanian state security service into the ranks of Islamists; they gave her false information and psychotropic preparations. "Egle's evidences were obtained through application of violence and threats; besides, her words were distorted," said Ms Kusene.

According to the relatives, the girl was interrogated without an advocate; and when mother was allowed to meet her, she saw a scar in her daughter's face, and the girl complained of her bad health condition. "They had beaten Egle's kidneys from the back and her head against the wall. Because of stress and pain she can't remember certain episodes," said the aunt.

The relatives complain that neither they nor the priest are allowed to see the girl, but the public prosecutor has noted that it is done that they could not convince the girl to reject her evidences. Klyunka has also emphasized that only legal methods were used during the interrogations.