Female migrants, detained at the registration centre in Lithuania's Medininkai in early March, have released a video showing some of them half-naked and handcuffed.
The women, who come from countries in Africa, told representatives of the Lithuanian Red Cross they were not allowed to get dressed. The State Border Guard Service (VSAT) claims the women sparked riots, but they were not subjected to excessive force.
The women removed their clothes to prevent them from being taken away for questioning, the VSAT says.
Egle Samuchovaitė, head of the Lithuanian Red Cross's Asylum and Migration Programme, confirmed she was aware of the situation. She says it took place in early March, early in the morning, when representatives of the organisation were not present in the area.
The versions of the events, provided by the VSAT and the women, are different, she acknowledged.
"The women said the officers came after the events, after the protest, that they did not have time to get dressed and that they were placed in one of the houses, their freedom was restricted – their hands were tied, they were covered with blankets and they were placed for almost a day," Samuchovaitė told BNS.
It was worrying the women were afraid to speak about it in public, Samuchovaitė added.
Meanwhile, VSAT spokesperson Giedrius Mišutis told BNS the officers did not use excessive force.
According to the border guards, residents of the women’s sector of the centre in Medininkai started protesting, demanding to be released from the centre and throwing food at the officers. The women then allegedly overturned several segments of the fence separating the different sectors and entered the men's area.
Then about 80 more men joined the unrest that lasted until the morning and officers used tear gas, Mišutis said. The six men and seven women who resisted most actively were detained and handcuffed with disposable cloth handcuffs, the VSAT spokesperson added.
Mišutis said a court later authorised restricting the right of movement within the centre’s territory.
Read more: Migration crisis in Baltics and Poland
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