Translated material
Anonymous archive
A new collection of KGB documents has appeared in Lithuania
A scandal erupted in Lithuania due to the emergence of a large set of documents related to the activities of the KGB in the period 1991-1992. The archive, which contains 52 original cases and over 7 thousand cards, fell into the hands of the Chairman of the Lustration Commission, Dalia Kuodite, a week ago. From whom - she categorically refused to answer this question even from the rostrum of the Sejm after the parliamentarians called her to find out the circumstances of such an extraordinary event.Ms. Kuodyte justified her refusal by the need to maintain confidentiality so that other holders of secrets could take a similar initiative. In her opinion, the owners of documents on the activities of the KGB did not necessarily steal them from secret storage facilities - over the past years the archives have passed through many hands. Ms. Kuodyte did not hide the fact that she had received the documents from anyone; she immediately reported this to the Department of State Security (DSS) and even to the Prime Minister himself. She transferred all the originals to the Special Archives.
Some deputies demanded that an investigation be opened. However, the majority recognized that the chairman of the Lustration Commission was right - people should not be discouraged from cooperating with government agencies. The Prosecutor General's Office also did not find grounds to initiate a case. According to the chief prosecutor of the Department of Organized Crime and Corruption, Algimantas Klyunka, liability is provided only for concealing documents, and in this case they were handed over voluntarily.
However, the uproar around the mysterious archive has raised a number of questions. We remembered the temporary commission to investigate the activities of the KGB, headed by Balis Gayauskas, which worked in 1991-1992. It turned out that almost nothing is known about the fate of the materials she collected. And Ms. Kuodite, who took up her position in the spring of 2005, has many complaints about the work of her predecessors.
It is noteworthy that the documents appeared on the eve of the municipal elections, which looks like a pre-planned release of incriminating evidence. It is also alarming that some of the documents received are presented only in copies. At the same time, the question once again arose about the responsibility of the Lustration Commission and other government agencies to citizens, who were promised not to disclose information about their cooperation with the KGB, if they themselves admitted it, as provided for by the lustration law. Well-known lawyer Kęstutis Čilinskas believes that in the event of a violation of anonymity, people can file claims against the state for suffering moral damage by failing to fulfill their obligations to maintain confidentiality in exchange for loyalty.