AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17

people remained stateless. Individuals
continued to be at risk of refoulement.
DISCRIMINATION
Stateless persons
The number of stateless persons continued
to be high – over 247,000 as of July, the
latest published government data. Stateless
people, the vast majority ethnic Russians,
were excluded from enjoying political rights.
Rights of people with disabilities
Following a five-day visit to Latvia in
September, the Council of Europe
Commissioner for Human Rights raised
concerns about the situation of persons with
disabilities in institutions, in particular that of
children with intellectual and psychosocial
disabilities. His comments echoed the
concerns of the UN Committee on the Rights
of the Child which, in March, called for the
government to set up comprehensive
measures to ensure that inclusive education
is given priority over the placement of
children with disabilities in specialized
institutions.
REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS
The number of asylum applications remained
low, with about 350 received during the year.
The European Commission criticized the
government for rejecting relocation requests
of asylum-seekers from other European
countries without providing substantiated
reasons or for rejecting requests on
unjustified grounds. By the end of the year,
Latvia had relocated 148 asylum-seekers
under the EU relocation and resettlement
scheme. Concerns remained about the nonsuspensive
effect of appeals against negative
decisions under the accelerated asylum
procedure. The procedure increases the risk
of individuals being returned to countries
where they could face serious human rights
violations.
In March, the UN Committee on the Rights
of the Child raised concerns about the
detention of asylum-seeking children during
the asylum-seeking procedure and called on
the government to end the practice.
LEBANON
Lebanese Republic
Head of state: Michel Aoun (assumed office in October)
Head of government: Saad Hariri (replaced Tammam
Salam in December)
The human rights situation continued to be
affected by the armed conflict in Syria.
Lebanon hosted more than 1 million
refugees from Syria, but the authorities
severely restricted their right to asylum and
maintained restrictions that effectively
closed Lebanon’s borders to those fleeing
Syria. Most refugees faced severe economic
hardship. Women were discriminated
against in law and practice and were
inadequately protected against sexual and
other violence. Migrant workers faced
exploitation and abuse. The authorities took
no steps to investigate the fate of thousands
of people who disappeared or went missing
during the conflict of 1975 to 1990. Longresident
Palestinian refugees continued to
face discrimination. Parliament approved a
new law to establish a National Human
Rights Institute. Courts continued to
impose death sentences; there were no
executions.
BACKGROUND
Tensions between the main political parties
caused continued political impasse. However,
in October, the Parliament elected a new
president; the presidency had been vacant
since May 2014. Public protests against the
government’s continued failure to implement
sustainable solutions to the country’s waste
collection and disposal problems diminished
compared with 2015.
Security conditions deteriorated; there
were bomb attacks in the capital Beirut and
in Beqaa governorate. Suicide bombers killed
five people and wounded 28 others, mostly
civilians, on 27 June in the predominantly
Christian village of Qaa in the Beqaa Valley.
The army detained dozens of refugees
following the attacks in Qaa, accusing them
of having irregular status in Lebanon.
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