The Seimas Ombudsman’s Office has published a report following inspections of facilities accommodating foreign nationals in Pabradė. The inspections assessed the treatment and living conditions of foreigners at the Reception Centre of the Reception and Integration Agency and the Aliens Registration Centre of the State Border Guard Service.
The inspections were conducted as part of the Seimas Ombudsman’s mandate to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment. The assessment covered detention and reception regimes, restrictions on freedom of movement, access to information and healthcare, material living conditions, and other relevant aspects.
The report identifies several areas requiring improvement. In particular, some foreigners were found not to have received sufficiently clear or accessible information concerning their rights, obligations, applicable rules, and procedures for submitting complaints or requests. Information was not always provided systematically, in relevant languages, or in a format that could be readily understood. Language barriers were also reported in the provision of healthcare, psychological and social services, with translation applications and, in some cases, other residents being used to facilitate communication.
The Ombudsman’s Office also noted that the availability of information through noticeboards, websites and digital tools does not necessarily ensure that it reaches its intended recipients. While institutions use tools such as QR codes, the InfoDesk App and the VERTIS translation programme, some foreigners were reportedly unaware of these resources or had not received sufficient guidance on how to use them. Some QR codes were also found to be non-functional or to provide information of differing scope across languages.
The report further identifies concerns regarding restrictions on freedom of movement. In certain quarantine or isolation situations, foreigners were reportedly unable to leave their rooms for outdoor walks, with some periods of isolation exceeding 48 hours. The report also describes cases involving foreigners subject to alternatives to detention who had not left the reception centre, either because permission had not been granted or because the conditions for obtaining such permission had not been adequately explained. The Ombudsman’s Office found instances where restrictions on movement were applied collectively in response to incidents such as disorder or smoking in rooms and common areas.
Material conditions were another area highlighted by the inspections. Some residents reported lacking seasonal clothing and footwear, while staff indicated that the availability of such items could be affected by fluctuations in the number of accommodated persons. The inspection also identified shortages of certain household items, including dishes, cooking utensils and drinking cups, with some residents reportedly using food cans for cooking, preparing drinks and eating.
At the same time, the report recognises the establishment of the Reception and Integration Agency as a positive institutional development, creating conditions for a more consistent organisation of reception, integration services and assistance to vulnerable persons.
The Seimas Ombudsman’s Office concludes that further measures are needed to strengthen access to information and interpretation, individual needs assessments and the provision of adequate material conditions. It also emphasises that restrictions on freedom of movement should be applied on an individual, justified and proportionate basis. Several dozen recommendations were submitted to the responsible institutions to address the issues identified during the inspections.
- Seimas Ombudsmen's Office | Lietuvos Seimo Kontrolieriai (9 July, 2026), Patikrinimai migrantų priėmimo centruose: be šiltų rūbų ir ryšio su išoriniu pasauliu [Inspections at migrant reception centers: without warm clothes and no contact with the outside world],