During the Lithuania migrant crisis of 2021, detained foreign nationals have been housed in unhealthy and cramped conditions, according to the Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office, which visited the sites, Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT and Domantė Platūkytė report.
This week, the Ombudsmen’s Office of the Lithuanian parliament published a report on irregular migrants’ living conditions in Lithuania. The document was submitted to the European Court of Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the European Council’s Commissioner for Human Rights, and other institutions.
Damp and cold conditions
The Seimas Ombudsmen’s Office visited 18 migrant centres in Lithuania. During their visits, the watchdog found that most irregular migrants, including minors, were housed in temporary accommodation, such as tents and hangars.
Most of these constructions were not sealed and did not protect against rain. On rainy days, migrant tents, sleeping mattresses and sheets were damp. Foreigners claimed that sleeping under such conditions was impossible, some of them got sick.
Bathrooms without a lock
Female and male migrants, living in modular housing units in the Rukla migrant reception centre, had to share showers and toilets. Some bathrooms did not have locks, while showers were only separated with curtains. Female migrants claimed that their privacy was violated, and they did not feel safe.
Adequate hygiene standards were also not met.
«The residents did not have any cleaning supplies, so they could not clean bathrooms and toilets,» the Ombudsmen’s report said. «According to the migrants, only 4–5 people could take a shower before the hot water ran out. They then had to wait for an hour for the water to warm up again.»
The article originally appeared on LRT English: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1515856/migrants-kept-in-inhuman-and-degrading-conditions-in-lithuania-says-watchdog
Lithuanian ombudsman: Migrants were kept in cramped and unhealthy conditions
