Ellex partner Raimundas Lideika receives an exceptional award for his contribution to the protection of human rights

In its first-ever awards ceremony, the Lithuanian Bar Association has recognized the outstanding work of Ellex Dispute Resolution practice partner Raimundas Lideika by awarding him the Defender statuette for his significant achievements in human rights protection.

The honorable symbol of the legal community was awarded to our colleague R. Lideika for his strong, consistent, and professional position as a lawyer-defender in a long and extremely complex legal proceeding defending the former head of the Association of Assistance to Oncology Patients Šarūnas Narbutas in the famous case on the acquisition of COVID-19 reagents.

R. Lideika convinced the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that the seizure of his property was disproportionate and the temporary detention of his client by the Special Investigation Service violated his right to liberty and security. Ultimately, the litigation, which lasted a year and a quarter, resulted in a victory for the client. The ECHR’s decision acknowledged that the client’s human rights had been violated under four European Convention on Human Rights articles.

“This case was about human rights. Probably few of us thought before this case that in criminal proceedings, the state has to respect not only our usual human freedom and human property but also the freedom of expression,” says R. Lideika.

The symbol of the new tradition of the awards, the statuette Defender, was created in 2023 by sculptor Tadas Gutauskas in collaboration with the Lithuanian Bar Association.