concluded were tasers. While the SoE legislation in Latvia allows for the use of force by law enforcement officials insome cases, incidents documented in this
report indicate that commandos used tasers in a gratuitous or punitive manner
rather than in self–defence or with a view to restraining people presenting a real threat.
155 Representatives of the Latvian Ombudsman told Amnesty International that theyhad heard allegations regarding the use of tasers in September 2021 but noted that in the specific case presented to their attention and considering “the information provided by State Border Guard about their equipment while doing border monitoring,”
and the office could not provide further information about it;they
referred to another incident being forwarded to the Internal Security Bureau.
It should be noted that Latvia’s regulations on the use of “special means”
specifically allows both the police and the border guard
to use electroshock devices.156On the occasion of the LIBE Committee’s visit to Latvia,
authorities maintained that “Border guards were not equipped with electroshock devices.” 157
Whether tasers may be part of the equipment of
the police or the army, in the exercise of their powers while assisting the border guard’s operations,
was left unaddressed.
As previously mentioned, Aleksandra Jolkina maintains that the Latvian Police
declined to disclose any details to her “about the police units assisting the border
………………………..
“155Remote interviews with Adnan of 10 March, 17 May, 7 June and 11 July.
156See: Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 55 of 18 January 18 (prot. No. 5 § 21) Rules on the types of special means and the procedure for their use, (Noteikumi par speciālo līdzekļu veidiem un to lietošanas kārtību), para.7,https://likumi.lv/ta/id/224905–noteikumi– par–specialo–lidzeklu–veidiem–un–to–lietosanas–kartibu
157In the context of LIBE’s meeting with the Ministry of Interior and the State Border Guard including regional Frontex Liaisonofficer based in Riga. LIBE Committee, Mission Report following the LIBE mission to Vilnius, Lithuania, and Riga, Latvia, 2022, page 4″
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“guards at the Belarus border.”158Based on publicly available document, the use of electroshock devices is part of the curriculum offered by the State Police.159
Zaki, a man from Iraq, who spent around three months at the border since December 2021….
The unregulated and reckless use of tasers in the absence of a threat, as described in the cases above, constitutes torture; the relevant incidents should be urgently and effectively investigated.
OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE AND DEGRADING TREATMENT UPON APPREHENSION OR TRANSFER, INCLUDING OTHER ACTS AMOUNTING TO TORTURE
In addition to the use of tasers, people described
Several people stated that commandos committed violence against them while making them board vans or inside vans, during or before transfers. Omar and Bilal, two men from Iraq who were atthe border together in fall of 2021 recounted: “Commandos in black outfits took us two hours after we crossed into Latvia.
They took us to the forest, to the tent and while they were taking us to the tents, they attacked us and used the electric shocks.
and refrain, in the future, from invoking a state of emergency or other exceptional measures to derogate from the state’s human rights obligations in the migration context…Latvian authorities shoulderadicate, in law and practice,
the systematic use of migration–related detention of people admitted from the border and
They should also ensure the regular and unimpeded access of NGOs and independent observers to border and detention facilities and treat detainees in accordance with international law and standards.”…
10/30/22, “Lee Zeldin for Governor Rally with Ron DeSantis in Long Island, New York Draws Massive Crowd,” yournews.com 
