Human rights in Lithuania have been the subject of much coverage. Lithuania scores 91 out of 100 in 2019 report by Freedom House, which classifies the country as "free", with high rankings in civil liberties and political rights. [1] In particular, Lithuania ranks 30th among 180 countries, well above the world's average level in press freedom, [2] and achieves a full score in freedom of assembly and nongovernmental organisations. [1] However, there are concerns regarding children's welfare, domestic violence, discrimination against minorities including the Roma, Jews and LGBTI people, as well as poor treatment of prisoners. The Constitution of Lithuania guarantees the protection of human rights. [3]
However, in recent years the government started to restrict the media from criticizing politicians and requires the journalists to pay a fee for the information from government systems. These actions are regarded as a violation of freedom of expression and have been protested by the public. [4] The Human Rights Monitoring Institute recommended that Lithuania "refer to their northern neighbors and invest more in protecting citizens, especially women's and children's human rights", which are poorly fared and need to be improved. [5]
Lithuania has a Roman-inspired legal system. [6] Lithuania restored its democratic and independent statehood in 1990, after the decades of Soviet occupation. The Constitution of Lithuania, adopted by referendum in 1992, [5] established the foundation of the social system and defined the rights, freedoms and duties of citizens. [7] The Constitution has been amended several times, with the latest amendment made in 2016. [8]
Chapter II of the Constitution, containing Articles 18 to 37, is titled "The Human Being And The State". This chapter is the most relevant to the protection of human rights. [8]
In Article 25 of the Constitution of Lithuania, people's rights of free conviction and expression are stated as "No one should be hindered from seeking, acquiring or disseminating information and ideas." [9] Freedom of speech and the press are generally respected by the Lithuanian government. [10]
According to RWB's 2019 World Press Freedom Index, Lithuania ranks 30th among 180 countries in the world. [2] Although the Constitution guarantees the freedom of the press, and the media in Lithuania enjoyed plenary freedom for the last 3 decades, [11] the government focused on furthering control over it. [12] There have been several suspensions of Russian language broadcasting cases in Lithuania for either three months or six months, which were due to warmongering and inciting discord and disseminating of propaganda. [13] [12] On 11 January 2018, the day before the anniversary of the 1991 independence fight, in which 14 people died and hundreds were injured, the major part in parliament, which was led by the populist Greens and party of Farmer Union took actions to ban public from discoursing critical information in order to protect the country from being distrusted and distorted. [14]
However, these proposed measures are regarded as undermining freedom of media and limitation of media pluralism may violate freedom of expression. [15] In the case of potential suspension of Russian language broadcast of two TV channels, a press freedom coalition groups wrote a letter to the president of Lithuania to argue the ban is counterproductive and contradicts with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international free speech standards even though they understand the protest is in "the current tense situation". [16] The group also added that a large public in Moscow is rational to news reports and arguments and the government should not take the risk to cut off the outside free flow of information for such audiences. [13]
In response to the violation of press freedom, on 12 October 2018, Lithuania President Dalia Grybauskaitė held a meeting that discussed media freedom issues with ENEX members, and the President showed determination to defend freedom of the media. [17]
According to the Human Rights Monitoring Institute, in mid-September 2018, the Lithuanian Centre of Registers considered to stop providing free information to officially requesting journalists since the practice was not included in the law and therefore the journalists should pay for the information at the standard commercial rates. [18] This action was appealed by the journalist to the authorities publicly, emphasizing that it was a serious violation of the rights to get access to free information. [9]
In Lithuania, access to Internet for citizens is not restricted by the government. [10] According to the European Court of Human Rights, prisoners in Lithuania should not be restricted access to internet featuring study and learning programs, [19] as they found that Lithuania barred a prisoner from applying to an online law course, which violated Article 10 of the convention. [9]
Article 36 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania states the rights for citizens to assemble unarmed in peaceful meetings. [8] The law on meetings of the Republic of Lithuania is set to guarantee the constitutional rights of the citizens about assemble and the procedure for protecting national security and public safety. [20] Based on the statistic of Freedom House, before 2018 freedom of assembly in Lithuania was stated as generally observed, while in 2018 and 2019 it improved to be as generally respected. [21] [22]
Regarding Lithuanian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, Amnesty International urges Lithuanian authorities to provide them opportunities to hold tolerance events and give enough police protection during the events. [23] In 2010, the first Pride march for LGBT persons was allowed by Lithuania's supreme administrative court to be held in Vilnius. [24] In 2013, the mayor of Vilnius attempted to forcefully relocate the Pride march from the central avenue to a remote street outside the city center, but was unsuccessful due to the protection from two courts. The Baltic Pride took place in Vilnius and marched on the main avenue without any major incidents. [25] The Baltic Pride held on June 18, 2016 in Vilnius was a success, with no institutional obstacles or tedious legal battles compared to the last two. A crowd of 3,000 LGBT community members and their allies joined the March for Equality in memory of the victims of the Orlando attack. [26] The mayor of Vilnius did not attend, but did send compliments to the event. There were no serious incidents other than a member of Parliament, Petras Gražulis, attacking the procession and having to be dragged by the police. [27]
Religious freedom is guaranteed by Lithuanian Constitution in Article 26 and other laws. The criminal code includes three provisions to protect freedom of religion. It prohibits religious discrimination and provides for up to 2 years in prison for violations. Article 43 of the Constitution defines the relationship between religion and the State. The law divides registered religious groups into state-recognized traditional religious groups, other state-recognized religious groups, and all other registered communities and associations. [28] The religious communities are divided into "traditional" and "other". [5]
In 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom, it is stated that there are nine "traditional" religious groups listed by law that can trace their presence in the country back at least 300 years: Latin Church Catholics (Roman Catholics), Evangelical Lutherans, Evangelical Reformed Churchgoers, Eastern Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Old Believers, Jews, Sunni Muslims and Karaites. These traditional religious groups can enjoy many government benefits, including receive annual government subsidies that other groups are not granted to. [29] Other state-recognized religious groups involve those who officially registered in the country for at least 25 years, have societal support from at least 15 adult citizens and have instructions that are in accord with laws and morality. Nontraditional groups can have the support from public funds for cultural and social projects. [28]
In 2017, a TV show in Lithuania was closed because one of the judges, actress and former lawmaker gave a Nazi salute while contestants sang a song that was made popular by a Jewish singer. [30] Anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim comments were common on the Internet. [31]
The Lithuanian parliament passed the new law on personal data protection on 30 June 2018 and the law came into effect on 16 July 2018. [32] The regulation of general data protection is about the protection of personal data both for consumers and companies/institutions, which provides more possibilities for consumers to control their data. [5]
According to Equality and Human Rights Commission, in 2002 the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled the rights of marriage between men and women contained in Article 12 were to be extended to transgender people. [33] In Article 8, titled "Respect for your private and family life", it is stated that private life is a very broad concept; it calls for citizens to be free to understand and determine one's sexual orientation and personal identity, (and identify as one chooses appropriate), while family life calls for the rights to a family living in peace, without interference by the public or government, and can include the relationship between an unmarried couple. [34]
As stated in Article 38 of the Constitution, "Marriage shall be concluded upon the free mutual consent of man and woman." [35] Lithuania fails to comply with human rights standards, due to there being no legal acknowledgment of non-married families. In 2017, the Lithuanian parliament (Seimas) completely rejected proposed legislation of same-sex partnerships.[ citation needed ] Lithuanians are one of only a few remaining EU countries with no form of legal recognition for same-sex couples; this includes Bulgaria, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. [36] Civil partnerships between people of both same and different genders are still unlikely to be established in Lithuania. [5]
Human reproductive rights in Lithuania have not received much in the way of acknowledgment from public and governmental authorities, while faith-based organisations hamper the progress of the implementation of reproductive rights. [5] In 2013, a drafted law, aimed at limiting access to safe and legal abortions, was presented to the national Parliament for assessment. Although this law would pose a real threat to women's health and lives (plus its violation of human rights), its authors and supporters continued to push to have it passed; this became a general concern and was protested by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI). [37]
In the case of L. v. Lithuania (in 2007), L. is a transgender Lithuanian citizen who faces challenges in their daily life, due to the country failing to adopt a legal act outlining the conditions and procedures of gender reassignment. [38] The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Lithuania had violated rights to private and family life, and ordered Lithuania to adopt the necessary legislation on gender reassignment within three months of the ruling. Lithuania paid the damages to the applicant, but did not adopt the required legislation in time. HRMI and the Lithuanian Gay League continued to advocate for full implementation of the Court's ruling. In 2011, the Court ordered the civil registry office to change L.'s birth certificate records, and the Residents’ Register Service to change their ID number. [39]
In 2018, Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis employed an LGBT rights rally in Vilnius to solicit the Lithuanian parliament to pass legislation for registered same-sex couples. [40]
In the law on Protection against Domestic Violence, children's protection against violence is regulated. [41] However, in the 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, it is stated that one of the most serious human rights issues in Lithuania is children's welfare. [42] According to Lithuanian Children's Rights Ombudsman Institution report from 2007, violence against children comes from both families and public institutions. Also, bullying among children themselves is a big problem. [43] In 2003, parental overuse of alcohol was the main reason of child abuse. [44]
In 2011, Lithuania passed the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence. [41] According to the survey results of 2014 European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, in Lithuania 1 in 3 (31%) women aged above 15 have experienced physical and/or sexual violence, which is quite close to the EU's overall level (33%). [45] Domestic violence victims (women) are usually the ones who get blamed, which prevents women from asking or receiving real help. [46] In 2017 4 out of 5 victims in the domestic violence cases (48000 registered) are women. [47]
The Amnesty International reported that Lithuanian authorities have arbitrarily detained thousands of refugees and migrants in prison-like centers, where they have been subjected to inhumane conditions, torture and other ill-treatment. Many people reported being beaten, insulted and subjected to racially-motivated intimidation and harassment by guards. Dozens of people from countries including Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria and Sri Lanka were unlawfully detained, while Lithuania welcomed tens of thousands of people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [48]
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may include the freedom of conscience, freedom of press, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, the right to security and liberty, freedom of speech, the right to privacy, the right to equal treatment under the law and due process, the right to a fair trial, and the right to life. Other civil liberties include the right to own property, the right to defend oneself, and the right to bodily integrity. Within the distinctions between civil liberties and other types of liberty, distinctions exist between positive liberty/positive rights and negative liberty/negative rights.
Religious intolerance is intolerance of another's religious beliefs, practices, faith or lack thereof.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in Hungary face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Homosexuality is legal in Hungary for both men and women. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sex is banned in the country. However, households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for all of the same legal rights available to heterosexual married couples. Registered partnership for same-sex couples was legalised in 2009, but same-sex marriage remains banned. The Hungarian government has passed legislation that restricts the civil rights of LGBT Hungarians – such as ending legal recognition of transgender Hungarians and banning LGBT content and displays for minors. This trend continues under the Fidesz government of Viktor Orbán. In June 2021, Hungary passed an anti-LGBT law on banning "homosexual and transexual propaganda" effective since 1 July. The law has been condemned by seventeen member states of the European Union. In July 2020, the European Commission started legal action against Hungary and Poland for violations of fundamental rights of LGBTQI people, stating: "Europe will never allow parts of our society to be stigmatized."
Human rights in Kyrgyzstan improved after the ouster of President Askar Akayev in the 2005 Tulip Revolution and the installment of a more democratic government under Roza Otunbayeva. While the country is performing well compared to other states in Central Asia, many human rights violations still take place. While LGBT rights have been declining in recent years, freedom of press has been improving.
Lithuania does not recognise same-sex marriages or civil unions. A bill to grant same-sex couples some limited legal rights and benefits is pending in the Seimas.
Human rights in Vietnam are among the poorest in the world, as considered by various domestic and international academics, dissidents and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Delfi is a news website in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania providing daily news, ranging from gardening to politics. It ranks as one of the most popular websites among Baltic users.
Human rights in the Middle East have been shaped by the legal and political development of international human rights law after the Second World War, and their application to the Middle East. The 2004 United Nations Arab Human Development Report (AHDR) claimed that although Arab-Islamic tradition does hold unique importance for ideas of human welfare, History has proven that "they were not sufficiently prevalent in society to foster a culture based on a political contract, and allow for the legitimacy of differences of opinion, dialogue and transfer of power." Issues of the validity of democracy in the region and human rights are at the very centre of the challenges facing Middle Eastern society today.
The topic of human rights in Asia is one that encompasses an immense number of states, international governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. All these institutions contribute a variety of services and perspectives towards human rights, covering topics including the enforcement, monitoring, and criticisms of human rights in Asia. There is no single body that covers all of human rights in Asia, as such a diverse and widespread region requires a number of institutions to properly monitor the multitude of elements that fall under the scope of human rights. There have historically been numerous criticisms of human rights in Asia, but a variety of new treaties and conventions now strive to accomplish a level of human rights as they are known on the international stage. Human rights in Asia are monitored by many organizations, a few examples being the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and Human Rights Watch. Tolerance of these organizations varies from state to state, with voluntary intergovernmental programs often seeing more state-cooperation than neutral non-governmental organizations would typically receive. The number of criticisms towards Asian states has dramatically increased in recent decades, with many human rights advocates calling for increased transparency and greater international pressure upon Asian states to refrain from any human rights infractions. Aforementioned calls for international pressure have gone unanswered, however, as most of the international community finds it increasingly difficult to challenge the actions of the growing Asian powers: particularly China. While states have put forward somewhat muted complaints in recent years, non-governmental organizations continue to 'name and shame' states that have shown themselves to be guilty of human rights infractions.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) rights in Latvia have expanded substantially in recent years, although LGBT people still face various challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female types of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Latvia, but households headed by same-sex couples are ineligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. Since May 2022, same-sex couples have been recognized as "family" by the Administrative District Court, which gives them some of the legal protections available to married (opposite-sex) couples; as of 2023 November, around 40 couples have been registered via this procedure. In November 2023 registered partnerships were codified into law. These partnerships are available to both same and different sex couples - since July 1, 2024 the implemented registered partnership law has the similar rights and obligations as married couples - with the exception of the title of marriage, and adoption or inheritance rights.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Lithuania have evolved rapidly over the years, although LGBT people still face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female expressions of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Lithuania, but neither civil same-sex partnership nor same-sex marriages are available, meaning that there is no legal recognition of same-sex couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Moldova face legal and social challenges and discrimination not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same rights and benefits as households headed by opposite-sex couples. Same-sex unions are not recognized in the country, so consequently same-sex couples have little to no legal protection. Nevertheless, Moldova bans discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace, and same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1995.
Moscow Pride was a demonstration of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people (LGBT). It was intended to take place in May annually since 2006 in the Russian capital Moscow, but has been regularly banned by Moscow City Hall, headed by Mayor Yuri Luzhkov until 2010. The demonstrations in 2006, 2007, and 2008 were all accompanied by homophobic attacks, which was avoided in 2009 by moving the site of the demonstration at the last minute. The organizers of all of the demonstrations were Nikolai Alekseev and the Russian LGBT Human Rights Project Gayrussia.ru. In June 2012, Moscow courts enacted a hundred-year ban on gay pride parades. The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly ruled that such bans violate freedom of assembly guaranteed by the European Convention of Human Rights.
Before the independence from the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1990, Lithuanian print media sector served mainly as a propaganda instrument of the Communist Party of Lithuania (LKP). Alternative and uncontrolled press began to appear in the country starting from 1988, when the Initiative Group of the Reform Movement of Lithuania Sąjūdis was established. After the declaration of independence the government stopped interfering in the media outlets which for the most part were first privatised to their journalists and employees and later to local businessman and companies. Currently media ownership in Lithuania is concentrated among a small number of domestic and foreign companies.
Human rights in Poland are enumerated in the second chapter of its Constitution, ratified in 1997. Poland is a party to several international agreements relevant to human rights, including the European Convention on Human Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Helsinki Accords, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Human rights in Estonia are acknowledgedas being generally respected by the government. Nevertheless, there are concerns in some areas, such as detention conditions, excessive police use of force, and child abuse. Estonia has been classified as a flawed democracy, with moderate privacy and human development in Europe. Individuals are guaranteed on paper the basic rights under the constitution, legislative acts, and treaties relating to human rights ratified by the Estonian government. As of 2023, Estonia was ranked 8th in the world by press freedoms.
The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, is a human rights treaty of the Council of Europe opposing violence against women and domestic violence which was opened for signature on 11 May 2011, in Istanbul, Turkey. The convention aims at prevention of violence, victim protection and to end the impunity of perpetrators.
Human rights in the Kingdom of Denmark are protected by the state's Constitution of the Realm (Danmarks Riges Grundlov); applying equally in Denmark proper, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and through the ratification of international human rights treaties. Denmark has held a significant role in the adoption of both the European Convention on Human Rights and in the establishment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). In 1987, the Kingdom Parliament (Folketinget) established a national human rights institution, the Danish Centre of Human Rights, now the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
The human rights record of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been criticised over a number of years by intergovernmental organisations including the United Nations Human Rights Council, the European Court of Human Rights and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, as well as international and domestic non-governmental organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been criticised for ethnic and religious discrimination in its treatment of ethnic and religious minorities such as the Romani people and the Jewish people. The government has also been criticised for its treatment of Internally Displaced Persons following the Bosnian War and its failure to provide asylum seekers with resources such as food, shelter and medical assistance. According to BH Novinari, the Bosnian Journalists’ Association, freedom of the media is an issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with journalists facing attacks, threats and pressure from government. Human rights non-government organisations have also reported interference in their work from the government. The Bosnian government has been criticised by the European Union for its slow response to domestically prosecute war crimes from the Bosnian War following the closure of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in December 2017.
Human rights in Hungary are governed by the Constitution of Hungary, laws passed by the National Assembly, and oversight of international organizations such as the Council of Europe. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have raised concern for the status of human rights in Hungary under the rule of Viktor Orbán and the Fidesz party since 2010.
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