More about the Right to Life

Section 93 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia
Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 6 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Article 2 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

European Court of Human Rights has stipulated that Article 2 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms that guarantees the individuals’ right to life and determines the conditions under which deprival of life can be justified constitutes one of the key clauses in the European Convention for Human Rights, and that deviation from that clause is impermissible. In correlation with Article 3 of the Convention it presents an essential fundamental value of a democratic society. On the basis thereof, any grounds justifying deprival of life are subject to possibly narrow interpretation.

Obligation of the State to protect the life of each and every citizen is composed of three parts:

• The duty to take the steps required in the given circumstances to prevent unjustified loss of life;
• The duty to investigate suspicious death;
• The duty of its representatives to abstain from deprival of life incommensurate with the law.

Deprivation of life of a lawfully detained individual can take place in different circumstances, such as deprivation of life during interrogation, suicide by detained person as a result of threat; bodily injuries incommensurate with life.