United States Department of State

Latvia: Human Rights United States Department of State

The Republic of Latvia is a multi-party parliamentary democracy. Legislative authority is vested in a unicameral parliament (Saeima). Elections in September 2011 for the 100-seat parliament were free and fair. Authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. There were some reports that security forces committed human rights abuses, particularly that individual police personnel abused persons in custody. The most significant human rights problem during the year was corruption. Other notable problems included poor conditions in detention and prison facilities, violence against women, rape, and child abuse. Additional human rights problems included delays in court proceedings, anti-Semitic incidents, incomplete restitution of Jewish communal property, trafficking in persons, and societal discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. Noncitizens, who constituted approximately 14 percent of the population, naturalized at a slow rate and could not participate in elections. The government generally took adequate steps to prosecute officials who committed abuses, although concerns remained regarding impunity for corruption.