Anti-nuke activist Novikava wins appeal against Lithuania entry ban

Minsk, 19 March. A circuit civil court in Vilnius upheld on Monday Belarusian environmental activist Tatsyana Novikava`s appeal against the Lithuanian foreign ministry`s decision to ban her from entering the country.
The court ordered the Lithuanian foreign ministry to pay roughly $1218 in litigation costs.
Ms. Novikava, who campaigns against nuclear power projects, welcomed the ruling. "The decision shows that Lithuania has democratic institutions and they are functioning," she said.
The activist stressed that the entry ban was linked to her efforts to protest the construction of nuclear power plants.
In February, the Vilnius court annulled an entry ban imposed on another Belarusian anti-nuclear activist, Mikalay Ulasevich.
Ms. Novikava and Mr. Ulasevich were turned away at the Lithuanian border in September 2012 while they were traveling to Vilnius to attend a conference on nuclear power. Lithuanian border guards referred to the foreign ministry`s order that said that the pair "threaten the national security of the Republic of Lithuania."