On Tuesday, 13 August, the newly elected judge of the European Court of Human Rights Artūrs Kučs, the President of the Constitutional Court Aldis Laviņš, as well as former judges of the European Court of Human Rights from Latvia Mārtiņš Mits, the judge of the Constitutional Court, and Ineta Ziemele, the judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, visited the Parliament and discussed human rights issues with the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica and MPs. 

Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica stressed that human rights are a matter of our security, and their protection significantly distinguishes us from the aggressor on the other side of our border. The highest standards of human rights are inextricably linked to Latvia's independence and security, said Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica.

“Today’s geopolitical situation highlights once again the fragility of human rights, the safeguarding of which is an essential cornerstone of democracy. Fighting for human rights is a task for the whole democratic world, even seemingly small actions at the local level can have a wide and significant impact globally, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica emphasised, adding that the human rights situation in Latvia must be protected and strengthened continuously, both in everyday life and with a view to the future, including the need to create a regulatory framework covering such new dimensions as the management of artificial intelligence, social networks, and the fight against hybrid attacks.

Inese Kalniņa, Chair of the Subcommittee on Constitutional and Judicial Policy of the Legal Committee, stressed that "While the judiciary is independent, dialogue and cooperation with the legislator, in particular on human rights issues, is crucial. Today, we discussed with judges both strengthening of the capacity of judges and future challenges in human rights, and we agreed that we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Latvia, too, still has a lot to do and to improve in this area. This meeting was welcomed by all parties and we will hold more similar meetings."

MPs and judges discussed current human rights issues, as well as future challenges in Latvia and in the world. The possibility of such an informal dialogue was highly appreciated by the participants. The meeting was also attended by Andris Bērziņš, Chair of the Social and Employment Matters Committee of the Saeima, Gunārs Kūtris, Chair of the Citizenship, Migration and Social Cohesion Committee, and Edmunds Teirumnieks, Chair of the Latgale Region Subcommittee, as well as Lauma Paegļkalna, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Justice.

During the meeting, MPs and judges also viewed the original copy of the law "Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia" signed by the Speaker of the 6^th Saeima, Alfreds Čepānis, and adopted by the Saeima on 15 October 1998. With these amendments, Chapter 8 “Human fundamental rights” was incorporated into the Constitution, thus strengthening in the Fundamental Law that our state recognises and protects these rights.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elected Artūrs Kučs, a judge of the Constitutional Court by an absolute majority of votes, to the office of a judge of Latvia at the European Court of Human Rights on 16 April this year. On 15 February, the Saeima confirmed Mārtiņš Mits, the former Latvian judge at the European Court of Human Rights, in the office of a judge of the Constitutional Court.

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Saeima Press Service