Lithuania’s Constitutional Court is set on Tuesday to rule on whether the existing legal provision that prevents persons sentenced to life imprisonment from attending funerals of their relatives is in line with the Constitution.
The Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania asked the CC to consider whether such a provision of the Code for the Execution of Criminal Penalties, which provides that only convicts serving terminated sentences may be allowed to leave the place of execution of their sentence in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania, with or without an escort, to attend the funeral of a relative or visit a dying relative.
Meanwhile, persons sentenced to life imprisonment are barred from attending the funeral of a relative.
The Supreme Administrative Court believes this may contravene the principles of equal treatment and protection of human dignity, enshrined in the Constitution.
This court had heard an administrative case in which a person serving a life sentence demanded non-pecuniary damages because he was refused permission to attend his father’s funeral.
Source: BNS
(Reproduction of BNS information in mass media and other websites without written consent of BNS is prohibited.)