CAT/C/LTU/CO/2
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educational and rehabilitation measures. The State party should ensure prompt,
impartial and thorough investigations into all such motivated acts and prosecute
and punish perpetrators with appropriate penalties which take into account the
grave nature of their acts, and provide rehabilitation measures to the victims,
including steps to prevent impunity.
Prohibition of any statement obtained under torture from being invoked as evidence
18.
The Committee expresses its concern at the fact that the State party does not have
uniform legislation ensuring that any statement which is established to have been made as a
result of torture shall not be invoked as evidence in any proceedings, as required by article 15 of
the Convention.
The State party should ensure that legislation concerning evidence to be adduced in
judicial proceedings is brought in line with the provisions of article 15 of the
Convention so as to exclude explicitly any evidence obtained as a result of torture.
Rights of vulnerable groups and discrimination
19.
While noting a number of measures adopted by the State party, including the Strategy for
the Development of the Ethnic Minorities Policy until 2015, the Programme for the Integration
of the Romany into the Lithuanian Society for 2008-2010 and the National Antidiscrimination
Programme for 2006-2008, the Committee is concerned at reports of ill-treatment and
discrimination of ethnic minorities, especially Roma. In this respect, the Committee is concerned
at information indicating that instances of ill-treatment by law enforcement officials, in particular
the police, are often directed at persons belonging to ethnic minorities. The Committee is also
concerned at the lack of information on the number of hate crimes in the country and on the
existence of a recording and monitoring system in respect of hate crimes (art. 16).
The State party should intensify its efforts to combat discrimination and illtreatment of ethnic minorities, in particular Roma, including through the strict
application of relevant legislation and regulations providing for sanctions. The State
party should ensure prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into all such
motivated acts and prosecute and punish perpetrators with appropriate penalties
which take into account the grave nature of their acts, and ensure adequate training
and instructions for law enforcement bodies and sensitization of the judiciary. The
State party is encouraged to provide detailed information in its next periodic report
on the number of hate crimes and the effective measures adopted to prevent and
combat such acts. The Committee takes note of the information provided by the
State party that a new national antidiscrimination programme for 2009-2011 is
being prepared and calls upon the State party to ensure the necessary budgetary
allocations for its effective implementation.
Domestic violence
20.
The Committee takes note of various measures taken by the State party, including the
approval by the Government on 22 December 2006 of the long-term State Strategy on the
Reduction of Violence against Women and the Plan of Implementing Measures 2007-2009.
However, the Committee expresses concern about the high prevalence of violence against