The Lithuanian media informed that the USA TV network ABC News is very likely to renew topic of CIA secret prison (black site) possibly located in Lithuania for a more than a year until late 2005.  The ABC News has reported about it on its web site on 20 August. Five days later the Russian State run Russia Today broadcasted a report in which it claimed that the CIA facility was located in Rudininkai near Vilnius.

The Lithuanian authorities vigorously denied those allegations as rumours and fantasies and maintain that no such facilities were stationed on Lithuanian territory. Even though President Grybauskaite stated that a commission should be created to investigate the allegations, the Prime Minister Kubilius was not too sure, since the investigations already were conduced in the past.

Chairman of the Seimas National Security and Defence Committee Mr Anusauskas has sent a request to the ABC News reporter Matthew Cole asking to disclose the sources and help the investigation.  However, Mr Cole replied in the letter by assuring the chairman that this information is reliable, that he will continue on the topic and he would never disclose his sources.

He said in his letter btained by BNS ‘Despite not being able to share with you any evidence or documentation, both I, and ABC News, fully stand by our reporting. I had four sources confirming the information, as well as sources who worked at the location.’  ABC News will likely report more on a secret prison operated by the CIA in Lithuania, the journalist said.

The Lithuanian parliamentary committees of National Security and Defence and Foreign Affairs on 9 August came to a conclusion that the Foreign Ministry should appeal to the United States for information about the secret CIA prison in Lithuania.

Mr Nerijus Maliukevicius, a lecturer of the Vilnius University International Relations and Political Science Institute was quoted by alfa.lt saying that if the investigation will prove that Lithuania never hosted CIA prisons the ABC News should either confirm or deny it by providing the information to Vilnius.

He said “Should the investigation of the National Security and Defence Committee and its results prove that the prison never existed, I believe we should appeal to the ABC channel via diplomatic channels and demand denial of the information. In such case we will see the credibility of ABC’s so-called sources. They either misled or the channel will have to say B after saying A, i.e., provide more facts to corroborate the statements. Or apologize for misleading the public”.