The main objective of the visit was to review the measures taken by the Lithuanian authorities in response to the recommendations made by the Committee following previous visits. In this regard, particular attention was paid to the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in prisons, as well as to the conditions and legal safeguards offered to psychiatric patients.
During the visit, the delegation held consultations with Martynas Dobrovolskis, Deputy Minister of Justice, Mindaugas Kairys, Director of the Prison Service, Skirmantas Krunkaitis, Deputy Minister of Healthcare, as well as with senior officials from the Ministries of Justice and Healthcare. In addition, talks were held with the Parliamentary Ombudsperson Erika Leonaitė and staff of the National Preventive Mechanism department of the Parliamentary Ombudpersons' Office, as well as with representatives of non-governmental organisations.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT: Vânia Costa Ramos (Head of delegation), Domagoj Hajduković, Vassilis Tzevelekos and Victor Zaharia.
They were supported by Mahir Mushteidzada and Dalia Žukauskienė of the CPT Secretariat, and assisted by three experts: Andres Lehtmets, Head of the Psychiatry Clinic of Tartu University Hospital (Estonia), Olivera Vulić, psychiatrist, former Chief of the Centre for Mental Health in Podgorica (Montenegro), and Tomáš Petr, mental health nurse (Czechia).
The delegation visited the following places of deprivation of liberty:
Establishments under the Ministry of Justice
- Alytus Prison
- Marijampolė Prison
- Pravieniškės 1st Prison
- Pravieniškės 2nd Prison
Establishments under the Ministry of Healthcare
- Psychiatric Department of Panevėžys Republican Hospital
- Psychiatric Department of Šiauliai Republican Hospital
- Utena Expert Division of the National Service of Forensic Psychiatry
- Vilnius Republican Psychiatric Hospital
