ABSTRACTThe Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnical Studies (LCHRES), a member organisation of the International Helsinki Human Rights Federation, has prepared its regular review on the human rights situation in Latvia in 2002. Human rights problems in closed institutions: prions, mental health care institutions, and illegal migrants’ camp, as well the issues of police brutality and the lack of independent complaints institutions were among the core human rights concerns in Latvia in 2003.
In the field of social integration the citizenship issue remained unsolved. Minority rights concerns remained much the same as in previous years – including the non-ratification of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. Tension over the minority education reform increased throughout the year. Lack of awareness of intolerance issues and public responsibility became apparent when several high-profile politicians provided interviews to national extremist publication associated with both anti-Semitism and homophobia. The report does not claim to provide a complete overview of human rights issues in Latvia, as it focuses mainly on issues pertaining to specific LCHRES fields of expertise – civil and political rights, less on social and economic rights.
Human Rights in Latvia in 2003