Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Eighty- eighth session

23 November-11 December 2015

Item 4 of the provisional agenda

Consideration of reports, comments and information submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention

List of themes in relation to the combined sixth to eighth periodic reports of Lithuania (CERD/C/LTU/6-8)

Note by the Country Rapporteur

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination decided at its seventy-sixth session (A/65/18, para. 85) that the Country Rapporteur would send to the State party concerned a short list of themes with a view to guiding and focusing the dialogue between the State party’s delegation and the Committee during the consideration of the State party’s report. This document contains a list of such themes. This is not an exhaustive list; other issues may also be raised in the course of the dialogue. No written replies are required.

1.The Convention in domestic law, and the institutional and policy framework for its implementation (arts. 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7)

(a)Information on the application of articles 60, 169, 170 and 312 of the Lithuanian Criminal Code (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 12; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, para. 125);

(b)Progress on the adoption of the law on national minorities (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 11; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, para. 7);

(c)Progress on the adoption of the draft law on the Seimas Ombudsman to establish the office of the ombudsman as an independent national human rights institution (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 10; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, para. 6);

(d)Update on the implementation, impact and evaluation of the national anti-discrimination programme for 2009-2011 and the inter-institutional action plan for the promotion of non-discrimination for 2012-2014 (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 87 and 97);

(e)Update on the outcome of complaints received, investigations carried out, convictions and sanctions imposed by courts and decisions taken by the various human rights bodies on the basis of allegations of acts of racial discrimination, for 2013 and 2014 (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 14; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 129-135 and 188-194);

(f)Measures to facilitate the lodging of complaints for acts of racial discrimination and to protect complainants and victims from reprisals (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 14); update on the representation of persons belonging to minority groups in the police and the judiciary (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 14);

(g)Update on the effectiveness of the various measures taken to combat racial discrimination in the media, in particular racist and discriminatory statements on the Internet (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 225-229); follow-up on decisions taken by the Journalist Ethics Inspector during the pre-investigation phase in cases of racial discrimination (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 196-198);

(h)Impact of various initiatives and projects aimed at fostering mutual understanding and tolerance between non-citizens and the rest of the Lithuanian population (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 21; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 220-224).

2.Situation of ethnic and national minority groups, in particular Roma (art. 5)

(a)Update on the results of the implementation of the strategy for the development of the national minorities policy to 2015, and the evaluation thereof (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 61-65), and progress in the adoption of the strategy for the development of national minorities policy for 2015-2021 (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, para. 98);

(b)Situation of minority and migrant women; update on the findings of, and measures to follow-up on, the study on the situation of women from various groups, including ethnic minority women and migrant women, due in June 2014 (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 18; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, para. 66);

(c)Concrete results achieved by the action plan for Roma integration, with regard to the integration of Roma in the labour market (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 15; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 43-44 and 166-167);

(d)Concrete results and evaluation of various initiatives taken to improve the education of Roma children, including with respect to their attendance rate, in particular at the secondary level (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 40-42, 51-55 and 177-178); update on the adoption and implementation of the action plan for increasing social inclusion for 2014-2020, with regard to Roma housing (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, para. 172);

(e)Update on measures taken, since the adoption of the new Law on Citizenship of 2011 and the ratification of the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness in 2013, to solve the problems of identity cards and statelessness faced by some Roma (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, paras. 15 and 19; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 69-72); impact and evaluation of measures and awareness-raising campaigns aimed at promoting tolerance towards Roma (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, para. 50).

3.Migrants, including refugees, stateless persons and asylum seekers (arts. 2 and 5)

(a)Information, including statistical data, on the concrete enjoyment by migrants of housing and education rights and access to employment (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 144-150);

(b)Measures to improve the reception conditions for asylum seekers and irregular migrants at the Foreigners’ Registration Centre in Pabrade (CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 160-161; A/HRC/WG.6/12/LTU/3, para. 48); effective application of the principle of non-refoulement (A/HRC/WG.6/12/LTU/3, paras. 46-47);

(c)Update on the situation of statelessness in the State party following the adoption of the new Law on Citizenship and the ratification of the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 19; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 69-72);

(d)Statistical data on migrant victims of trafficking in the State party; progress in the adoption and implementation of the draft legal act No. XXIP-552; update on the outcome of investigations into cases of trafficking in human beings and on pending cases; impact of training initiatives on the reduction of trafficking in human beings (CERD/C/LTU/CO/4-5, para. 20; CERD/C/LTU/6-8, paras. 73-81).