On Wednesday, 23 November, the Administrative District Court in Riga rejected the request for compensation worth EUR 100 000 submitted by ex-mayor of Ventspils Aivars Lembergs, who submitted it in a lawsuit against the state for health problems allegedly from the time he spent in prison.
The court informs that while he was incarcerated at Riga Central Prison, Lembergs was given a booster Covid-19 vaccine jab. The vaccine was manufactured by Janssen. Lembergs refused the jab with this vaccine. The court thereby concluded he was provided ‘an appropriate minimum of healthcare’ during his prison sentence.
A look at the epidemiological measures employed by Riga Central Prison revealed to the court that those measures were comparable to prevent the risk of infection that was present at the time.
Considering all this, the court did not find signs of illegalities in the actions of the administration of Riga Central Prison towards Lembergs as one of the inmates.
The verdict is subject to appeal in the Administrative Regional Court within one month’s time.
Previously Lembergs requested the court to find actions of the administration of Riga Central Prison as unlawful, compensate material damages, as well as provide a written apology. Lembergs decided to turn to court over his time in prison after Riga Regional Court as a court of first instance
sentenced him to a five years in prison, confiscation of property and a fine of EUR 20 000 on 22 February 2021. Lembergs was put under arrest following the announcement of the verdict in the court room.
Lembergs explained his decision to request compensation because he wasn’t provided with medical assistance and care in prison. For a long time and after many written requests and proposals to pay for medical procedures from his own pocket, Lembergs says he was not provided with Covid-19 vaccine booster shot, which resulted in his infection with Covid-19 in December. This, according to him, caused damage to one-third of his lungs.
His defence attorney Māris Grudulis previously reported that his client was vaccinated using Johnson&Johnson vaccine on 10 May 2021. While under arrest Lembergs requested a booster shot, but it was not provided. Lembergs claims his own and his defence attorney’s requests on this topic were unanswered.
The central prison offered inmates the option to receive booster shots using Johnson&Johnson vaccine. However, this vaccine was previously criticised for allegedly low efficacy. National Immunisation Council recommended residents to receive a booster shot using vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna after receiving the initial jab using Johnson&Johnson. However, this option was not provided in prisons.
The Prison Administration refrains from providing comments as to why prisons in Latvia did not provide the option recommended by the National Immunisation Council. The Prison Administration only said that the Johnson&Johnson vaccine was the vaccine in demand the most among inmates of Riga Central Prison. This is why other vaccines were not procured.
The Prison Administration also refrains from commenting on the topic related to Lembergs’ vaccination.