This autumn, Baltic Human Rights Society and Cilvektiesibas.info portal, in cooperation with the Ombudsperson's Office, organised the fourth annual competition for articles on the topic "Let Human Rights Speak!" ("Ļauj Cilvēktiesībām Runāt!"). The aim of the competition is to encourage law students and young professionals to speak up on human rights and issues related to them in Latvia and to attract new authors to collaborate with Cilvektiesibas.info portal.

The fundamental purpose of the cilvektiesibas.info portal is to provide information about human rights issues of national, regional and international importance for Latvia. Its aim is to promote interest in and understanding of current human rights developments. The portal is intended for a wide audience: professionals in the public or private sector who are involved on a daily basis with the application of human rights, journalists, students in the specific fields, as well as the general public. While it primarily focuses on human rights issues directly relevant to Latvia or which may be of general interest to Latvia, it also covers broader issues related to the rule of law and democracy that include a human rights element. 

The following factors were taken into account in assessing the entries: the importance of the topic in the Latvian context, its relevance in the context of current international events, the clarity of presentation of the topic, the accuracy of the legal sources and their analysis, as well as the use of language and punctuation. The competition attracted a lot of interest and received entries on various current human rights issues.

First place, along with a prize of EUR 200 and the Ombudsperson’s acknowledgment was awarded to Agnese Vilcāne for her article “Tomorrow’s Rights in Today’s Decisions: The Rights of Future Generations and Fiscal Policy”, second place and a prize of EUR 150 was awarded to Viktorija Larkina for article “Cyberviolence Against Children: Regulation at the International and National Level”, and third place and a prize of EUR 100 was awarded to Ronalds Gackis for article “The State’s Obligation to Investigate Foreign Interference in Democratic Processes”.

Acknowledgments went to Emīlija Petrova for article “The Istanbul Convention: What Latvia Would Lose Without It” and Annija Katrīna Grīnfelde for article “EU ‘Chat Control’: At the Crossroads of Privacy and Children’s Digital Safety”.

The award ceremony took place on 28 October at the Ombudsperson's Office in the presence of the winners, Ombudsperson Karina Palkova, as well as the creative team of Baltic Human Rights Society and Cilvektiesibas.info. 

ents and young professionals to speak up on human rights and issues related to them in Latvia and to attract new authors to collaborate with Cilvektiesibas.info portal.

Ombudsperson Karina Palkova, congratulating the winners of the competition, emphasized: “Justice and human rights are not just words – they are values that come to life when young people dare to protect them. I am truly pleased to meet and congratulate enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable young people today, who are attentive to what is happening around them and able to view current human rights issues from a different perspective. I encourage young people to continue being brave and to get involved in various processes, including participating in the human rights moot court competition organized by the Office of the Ombudsperson.”

Ieva Andersone, Editor-in-Chief of Cilvektiesibas.info portal, expressed her gratitude to the participants of the competition: “The competition each year gives us the opportunity to meet inspiring students and young professionals who are very knowledgeable about current human rights issues and willing to share their expertise with others. I am very glad that the competition is just the beginning — many participants later become active authors for the portal and are also visible elsewhere in Latvia and beyond. During the award ceremony, participants shared their future goals – I wish each of them success in making those goals come true!”

The award-winning articles will soon be available in Latvian on Cilvēktiesības.info portal!