Trial of Egle Kusaite in Lithuania will go on behind closed doors

The Court of Appeal of Lithuania rejected the application of Egle Kusaite on publicity of her trial on charges of preparing a terror act in Russia and asking to combine her case with the one against Magmadovs, natives of Chechnya, accused of recruiting her.

Today the court has considered the defendant's application and rejected Egle Kusaite's petition with formulation that "the decisions of the administrative sessions cannot be appealed against."

The Lithuanian journalist Thomas Chivas, who is covering Egle's case and attends the court sessions in Vilnius, told the "Caucasian Knot" that despite this decision the Court of Appeal made a reservation that its decision does not imply any complete and total inability of holding Kusaite's trial in the open mode and combining her case with the Magmadovs' one.

"The decision of the Court of Appeal has an explanation that Kusaite may present her claims, including the openness of court sessions, again at the first session of the Regional Court, when the case will be considered on its merits. The decision also runs that the Regional Court will have to give a motivated answer to these claims," Thomas Chivas told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.