Lithuania recalls Gataevs' arrest warrant

Today, the Ministry of Justice of Lithuania has recalled its European Arrest Warrant issued in relation to natives of Chechnya - spouses Malik and Khadizhat Gataev, - convicted for violence over children, who had been given them for rearing. The married couple is now in Finland.

As reported by Ruta Spulginaite, press attache of the Ministry, the decision was made after the Supreme Court of Lithuania had ordered the Kaunas District Court to reconsider the Gataevs' case.

"While the case will be reconsidered by the Kaunas District Court, they will be released from custody in Finland," the "Interfax" quotes the Ministry's spokesperson as saying.

One day earlier, on March 23, the Lithuanian Supreme Court decided to satisfy the cassation claims lodged by Gataevs' advocates.

The Court noted that "in the course of considering the appeal on this case, the rights of the convicts to public trial were broken," in particular, "the case was not checked up, as the convicts' defenders asked; and a statement was passed, not meeting the requirements to appeal complaints on the criminal process."

In the opinion of the Court, these are essential violations, as they had not allowed the Appeal Court to consider the case in detail and make a fair decision or statement, the "Delfi" reports.