LCHRES report: Human Rights in Latvia in 1999
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Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 10:09:17 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: LCHRES report: Human Rights in Latvia in 1999
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Nils Muiznieks <[email protected]>
LCHRES report: Human Rights in Latvia in 1999
Human Rights in Latvia in 1999
Encroachments on freedom of expression, the lengthy pre-trial
detention of minors, as well as the government’s failure to allocate
sufficient funding to ensure smooth implementation of social
integration policy were the main human rights concerns in Latvia in
1999. On the positive side, 1999 saw the abolition of the death
penalty, the opening of a new involuntary commitment facility for
mental patients who have committed serious crimes and a significant
increase in the naturalisation rate of Latvia’s large population of
stateless "non-citizens". These are the conclusions of the Latvian
Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies (LCHRES) in its annual
report on the human rights situation in the country.
This is the second year in a row the LCHRES has published such a
report in Latvian, English and Russian. In 1999 a number of new
problem areas arose. For example, the press frequently reported on
cases in which children have suffered from violence in the family or
at school and the perpetrators went unpunished. A discussion on
alternative military service and conscientious objection began.
Comparing 1999 with 1998 one notes the following trends:
- conditions in prisons slowly improved, but the last few years have
witnessed the rapid increase in the number of persons in pre-trial
detention.
- in the sphere of the rights of the mentally ill, lawmakers have yet
to adopt a law on psychiatric assistance that was drafted more than
two years ago that regulated patient’s rights. However, an
achievement in 1999 was the opening of a modern new involuntary
commitment facility for mental patients who have committed serious
crimes.
- In the sphere of refugee rights the opening of a new refugee
reception center at Mucenieki was a positive step, but one must note
problems in granting refugee status, which is done very rarely.
Moreover, appropriate measures to integrate the few refugees into
society have not been taken.
- In 1999 the number of complaints about police staff exceeding their
authority did not decrease.
1000 copies of the report have been published with financial support
from the Open Society Institute (Budapest).
The Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies (LCHRES) is a
non-governmental organisation that received the EU-US Democracy and
Civil Society Award in May 1998. In November 1999, the LCHRES became a
full member of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
(IHF) and the English language version of the report will also appear
in the IHF annual report.
Nils Muiznieks
Director,
Latvian Center for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies
------------------------
>From the moderator: The full text of the report is available by
request from the LCHRES <[email protected]> or from the MINELRES
moderator.
Boris
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