President’s office calls for caution in publishing lists of KGB collaborators

The chief advisor told the radio Žinių Radijas that the government must first look into the matter in depth, analyse the laws and only then can they start discussions.

Lithuania’s ruling parties considered revealing identities of people who voluntarily admitted about their ties with the KGB. Lithuania legally committed to keep the identities secret in 1999. However, 15 years have passed and these files may now be declassified.

On Monday, President Grybauskaitė said the issue must be considered in detail and anonymity assurance revised.

“We must look into laws, how this could be done and whether it is necessary, if the state had guaranteed them anonymity and to what level if so,” Grybauskaitė told journalists on Monday.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius says that representatives of law enforcement agencies have already acquainted themselves with documents signed by Vytautas Landsbergis which state that identities of people who had voluntarily informed about their collaboration with the KGB will not be revealed. According to the prime minister, possible disclosure of such people will be considered at the Political Council again after new details emerged.

Butkevičius claims the documents were presented to him only after the information about possible disclosure of KGB collaborators had spread publicly.

“We had not seen the statement at the Seimas Board or at the Political Council. It was shown to me in my office,” the prime minister told the national radio.

According to the prime minister, the issue will be further considered at the Political Council because a politically responsible decision must be made after new information emerged.

“If promises were given to people, then they must not be broken,” said Butkevičius.

Files of KGB collaborators may be declassified as 15 year secrecy period ends in 2015. Vytautas Landsbergis who signed the aforementioned documents was chairman of Sąjudis’ Seimas Council in 1988-1990. On 11 March 1990 he was elected chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania and until 1992 was de facto the highest-ranking official in Lithuania.