Kaunas District Court decided that Kaunas City Court’s decision about Gataevs, is illegal and unjustified so the angel of Grozny nicknamed  Khadizhat Gataeva and her husband Malik Gataev were released.

The Kaunas Regional Court held under appeal of Prosecutors and on September 9, the district court said that the orders of Kaunas City Court were violated criminal procedure of law provides for the principle of proportionality. The court ordered to immediately releasing of Gataevs; at least till the decision of Kaunas District Court at its coming session on September 25.

This is the first victory in a long case that raised serious concerns about the workings of Lithuania’s justice system. However, the couple’s troubles are far from over: their Lithuanian residence permits have been revoked and the case related on this issue is going on at court, and they may face deportation back to Chechnya. Their children have been scattered, and it is unclear whether they will manage to rebuild the orphanage in Kaunas.

There are serious suspicions that Lithuanian State Security Department (VSD) or Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) are behind the case of Gataevs. Because Malik Gataev was a freedom fighter in Chechnya during the first Russian-Chechen war.

As we previously reported that Khadizhat and Malik Gataev weren’t released after the end of their punishment and their detention prolonged to three months by Kaunas City Court on August 14, 2009.