The Constitutional Court has initiated a case on the frequency of phone calls in places of imprisonment
The Second Panel of the Constitutional Court has initiated a case “On Compliance of the Words “Two” and “per Month” of Item 4 of Part 8 of Section 50.4 of the Penalty Execution Code of Latvia with Article 96 of the Satversme (Constitution) of the Republic of Latvia”.
Article 96 of the Satversme inter alia provides that everyone has the right to inviolability of his or her private life.
The contested norm, i.e. Item 4 of Part 8 of Section 50.4 of the Penalty Execution Code of Latvia provides that convicted persons serving their sentence of an average rate in a closed prison have the right to make two phone calls per month.
The case was initiated having regard to the constitutional claim of Mārtiņš Ēcis. It is indicated in the application that two phone calls per months is insufficient to preserve normal relations with the immediate family, acquaintances and the society in general.
The Saeima was asked to provide, before 30 April 2009, a reply with a layout of factual circumstances of the case and legal justification thereof. The deadline for preparation of the case is 20 June 2009.
Linked case: 2009-05-01