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Milda Vainiute
7 February 2020
After a thorough investigation, the Seimas Ombudsman Augustinas Normantas drew the attention of the State Security Department (SSD) to the need to focus more on protection of human rights. The Seimas Ombudsman acknowledged that the gaps left in the regulation of intelligence pose a particularly high risk of negatively affecting human rights, and therefore it is important to strengthen control over officials. The Seimas Ombudsman was happy to note that following the issued recommendations, the Seimas is planning to draft amendments to the law.
The Seimas Ombudsperson, in his investigation, also noted that the existing Immunity Board, established by the SSD, does not assess the performance of officials in terms of ensuring the protection of human rights. Moreover, during the investigation, the Seimas Ombudsman also noted that protection of persons’ rights to defence violated by the actions of intelligence officers, as provided for in the Law on Intelligence currently in force, is not enough.
6 February 2020
The Seimas Ombudsman submitted an opinion to the Committee on Human Rights regarding effective procedure for the application of mediation in family disputes. In his observations on the changed procedure for the out-of-court settlement of disputes, the Seimas Ombudsman acknowledged the need to improve the provisions of the Law on Mediation, as the current procedural framework is not fully clear and the space in the regulatory procedure left for interpretation can have a particularly negative impact on victims of violence.
In presenting his opinion, the Seimas Ombudsman first of all noted that a victim of domestic violence expects state support by providing him/her with legal instruments to protect his/her interests and ensure security. It is noteworthy that when mediating in cases of domestic violence, the victim not occasionally loses self-confidence and the perpetrator acquires an advantage over the victim; therefore, the victim's chances of reaching a peaceful agreement with the perpetrator are extremely low.
24 January 2020
On 17 January, representatives of the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office met with Dovile Juodkaitė, Kristina Dūdonytė, Dalia Mikalauskaitė, members of the Commission for the Monitoring of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities under the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman, including Vytis Muliuolis, a representative of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman's Office.
At the beginning of the meeting, Augustinas Normantas, Head of the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office, noted that the versatility of the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office and the expanded content of the existing mandates allow for a more thorough analysis of emerging issues. Often, the Seimas Ombudsmen get to know about certain individual problems in places of deprivation of liberty from applicants‘ requests or complaints, but the status of the National Prevention Institution allows to identify the extent and systematic nature of the violations.