Migrants Behind Closed Doors in Pabradė: Collective Punishment and Food Cooked in Tin Cans
SUMMARY
Problems with basic living conditions continue to be reported in accommodation centres for foreigners in Lithuania.
In Pabradė, migrants cooked food and boiled eggs in tin cans because of a shortage of kitchenware.
Up to 85% of residents faced various restrictions on their freedom of movement.
“The main problem is a lack of empathy and a human rights-based approach,” says the Seimas Ombudsperson.
The Reception and Integration Agency for Foreigners says that the identified shortcomings are already being addressed.
Although more than five years have passed since the migration crisis began, problems with ensuring basic living conditions continue to be reported in Lithuania’s accommodation centres for foreigners. According to a report by the Office of the Seimas Ombudspersons, migrants in one of the buildings of the Foreigners’ Registration Centre in Pabradė were forced to cook food and boil eggs in empty tin cans because of a shortage of kitchenware.
“Such a situation raises concerns not only from the perspective of human dignity, but also in terms of hygiene and safety,” Dr Erika Leonaitė, Lithuania’s Seimas Ombudsperson and head of the Office of the Seimas Ombudspersons, told LRT.lt.
The Reception and Integration Agency for Foreigners says that the identified shortcomings are already being addressed. However, it is currently impossible to verify this on site. The agency rejected an LRT.lt journalist’s request to visit the centre in Pabradė, inspect the premises and speak with the migrants living there. The institution cited training sessions, events and working meetings taking place during this period, as well as staff holidays, and suggested that the journalist visit at the end of August.
According to E. Leonaitė, the problems in accommodation centres are not limited to everyday living conditions. She believes that the root of many difficulties lies much deeper — in the attitudes that prevail in society.
“The main problem is a lack of empathy and a human rights-based approach,” the Seimas Ombudsperson stressed.
In her view, the root of the problem lies in the negative attitude towards foreigners that often dominates public discourse today.
“Some people seem to think that if the rights of foreigners are restricted, others will have more rights. But human rights work differently: when they are violated in one area, the entire culture of human rights and the whole system based on the rule of law suffer,” E. Leonaitė noted.
TIN CANS INSTEAD OF PLATES
The reception centre in Pabradė (archive photo) | AP photo
The Office of the Seimas Ombudspersons has presented a report of almost 100 pages on the situation at the Reception Centre in Pabradė, which is administered by the Reception and Integration Agency (PIIA), as well as at the Foreigners’ Registration Centre of the State Border Guard Service (VSAT).
The document records a wide range of violations affecting virtually every aspect of foreigners’ lives in the accommodation centres. These include problems with access to medical and psychological assistance, shortcomings in the organisation of meals and basic living conditions, insufficient information and interpretation services, restrictions on communication with the outside world, obstacles to freely going outdoors and moving around, as well as cases in which collective restrictive measures were imposed on all residents because of the actions of individual persons.
The report concludes that the main food-related problems include insufficient caloric intake for some residents, the lack of an immediate choice of meal type, insufficient information about menus, and the inadequate provision of kitchenware and equipment.
According to the inspection, the average energy value of the meals provided is approximately 2,400–2,500 kilocalories per day. This is sufficient only for young men aged 19–34 with very low levels of physical activity. However, some residents regularly use the gym, exercise on sports grounds and take long walks. For such people, the recommended daily intake can reach 3,150 kilocalories. The report states that, for people with low, moderate or high levels of physical activity, the meals provided may be insufficient, partly confirming foreigners’ complaints that the portions are too small.
The inspection found that some kitchens lacked functioning electric kettles, mugs, cooking pots and other essential items. Some of the equipment was severely worn out: cutting boards were deformed and, because of prolonged use, no longer met hygiene requirements.
A particularly difficult situation was recorded in one of the buildings of the Multifunctional Centre for Migrants, where even mugs and cooking pots were unavailable on some floors. As a result, residents prepared food and brewed drinks in empty tin cans left over from the food packages they had received.
Migrants boiled eggs in tin cans | Photo by the Office of the Seimas Ombudspersons
Commenting on the situation, Lithuanian Seimas Ombudsperson Erika Leonaitė noted that such cases point not only to everyday practical difficulties, but also to problems in the organisation of the centre’s work.
“Such a situation raises concerns not only from the perspective of human dignity, but also in terms of hygiene and safety. People living in the reception centre must be provided with basic living conditions that are safe and consistent with human dignity,” she stressed in a comment to LRT.lt.
According to Leonaitė, the shortcomings identified were largely linked to the sharp increase in the number of foreigners in registration and reception centres, which meant that staff were not always able to respond promptly even to residents’ basic needs.
Erika Leonaitė | J. Stacevičius / LRT photo
The Reception and Integration Agency partly agrees with this assessment, but stresses that the situation described in the report relates to a specific period and does not reflect current living conditions.
According to the agency, the photograph showing food being prepared in tin cans was taken during a sharp increase in the number of arriving foreigners, when the supply system was under particularly heavy pressure. The institution also notes that kitchenware and household items are often lost, broken or left behind after residents move out, meaning that supplies have to be replenished constantly.
“At present, residents of the Pabradė centre are provided with the necessary kitchenware and other everyday items. The centre maintains a reserve of essential supplies, stock levels are monitored continuously, and items are replenished promptly when needed,” the agency told LRT.lt.
The agency also says that residents are now provided with seasonal clothing, footwear, hygiene products and other essential items, and that current stocks are sufficient to meet existing needs.
COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENTS WERE IMPOSED
Pabradė Reception Centre | Photo courtesy of the centre
The ombudspersons were particularly concerned about cases in which freedom of movement was restricted for all residents because of violations committed by individual people. The report notes that the combined effect of the restrictions in place was effectively equivalent to detention. In some cases, residents were not even allowed to go outside for a walk in the internal courtyard.
According to the centre’s administration, 170 people were living in the residential buildings in November 2025. Of these, 103 were migrants who had crossed the border irregularly or were staying in Lithuania without legal grounds and had not applied for asylum. Another 59 were asylum seekers, three were awaiting a decision on whether they would be admitted to Lithuania, one person had temporary protection as a Ukrainian citizen, and three had already received final refusals of asylum. Most residents came from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Eritrea, as well as Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and other countries.
According to the report, as of 7 November 2025, only 26 of the 170 people accommodated at the Pabradė Reception Centre were not subject to restrictions on their freedom of movement. In other words, some form of restriction was imposed on approximately 85% of residents.
The inspection revealed differences in living conditions between floors. For example, residents on the first floor, where families, couples and the most vulnerable people were accommodated, were allowed to go outside only into a small internal courtyard. Men living on the second floor had access to a separate yard.
Pabradė Reception Centre (archive photo) | AP photo
The situation on the third and fourth floors was considerably more restrictive. During one inspection, the doors to the third floor were locked, and no staff members were nearby who could have allowed residents to go even into the internal courtyard. Moreover, the internal telephone used to contact the duty officer went unanswered. During a subsequent inspection, the doors were again locked, and residents said they were unable to go outside on their own at all. According to them, they could only spend time outdoors while being escorted to and from the canteen or during organised football training sessions.
The inspectors were particularly concerned by cases in which individual people were completely isolated. According to the report, some foreigners on the third and fourth floors were locked in their rooms and entirely deprived of the possibility of leaving. These restrictions were imposed without allowing them to go out even into the corridor or for a walk.
The report therefore shows that a significant proportion of foreigners who are not officially considered detained are, in practice, living under conditions resembling a closed detention regime. Many are confined to their residential building and cannot freely go outside, while in some cases they are effectively isolated in their rooms.
Commenting on the inspection findings, Seimas Ombudsperson Erika Leonaitė stated that such practices are incompatible both with international human rights standards and with the principles enshrined in the Constitution of Lithuania.
Pabradė Reception Centre | Photo courtesy of the centre
«International human rights standards and the Constitution are based on the principle that a person’s natural state is freedom. Restrictions may be imposed only after an individual assessment of each case. Nevertheless, in our country, when it comes to foreigners, the situation is exactly the opposite: first, everyone’s freedom is restricted, and only then is it decided whether those restrictions may be eased.
The use of collective punishment cannot be justified under any circumstances. The collective punishment mentioned in the report — namely, restricting the ability of everyone living in the same building to leave the reception centre — was imposed because several people had broken the rules by smoking in rooms and communal areas», she stressed in an interview with LRT.lt.
As an example, the report describes a case in which all residents of one building were prohibited from leaving the centre’s grounds after several people violated the rules by smoking in rooms and shared spaces.
Pabradė Reception Centre | Photo courtesy of the centre
The Reception and Integration Agency, for its part, emphasises that the ombudspersons’ findings relate to a specific period and to the circumstances that existed at that time.
The agency acknowledges that collective measures were used in the past, but maintains that their purpose was not to punish residents.
«These measures were intended to ensure the safety of staff and other residents of the centre, reduce the risk of unauthorised departure, and respond to exceptional situations, including the management of infectious diseases», the agency said in a comment to LRT.lt.
The institution stresses that such practices are no longer used. Following the publication of the report, the agency reviewed its existing procedures in light of the recommendations made by the Seimas Ombudspersons.
According to the agency, arrangements for walks and access to fresh air have also been revised. Residents are now regularly informed about the applicable rules and the possibilities for leaving the centre’s grounds. At the same time, the institution notes that temporary restrictions may still be introduced in individual cases for security reasons or in response to emergency circumstances, such as the spread of infectious diseases, but such measures must be strictly temporary.
PROBLEMS WITH INFORMATION AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS
Pabradė Reception Centre | Photo courtesy of the centre
The inspections also found that some foreigners had not received clear information about their rights and obligations, the rules in force, or the procedures for submitting complaints and applications. Information was not always provided systematically, in all the necessary languages, or in a form that was understandable to foreigners.
According to the ombudspersons, the language barrier was particularly evident in the provision of medical, psychological and social assistance, where communication most often relied on translation apps or help from other foreigners.
According to Erika Leonaitė, access to information remains one of the most sensitive problems in the system for receiving foreigners.
«Accessibility of information often depends not only on the quality of translated materials or technical solutions, but also on the staff members who are in closest contact with foreigners and on their ability to explain the information to a person who is in a stressful situation», she noted.
The Seimas Ombudsperson stressed that responsibility for resolving these problems lies primarily with state institutions. At the same time, she acknowledged that certain steps had been taken to improve the situation following the establishment of the Reception and Integration Agency in 2025.
According to her, interpreters have been working permanently at the centre and providing in-person services since June of this year. In addition, the InfoDesk App is being developed, information boards are being updated, and additional information tools are being introduced.
Pabradė Reception Centre | Photo courtesy of the centre
The agency itself maintains that residents are already provided with information in a variety of ways — orally, in writing, through interpreters, digital tools and legal consultations.
«It is important to understand that some of the questions raised by foreigners relate not to living conditions, but to their legal status, asylum procedures or return to their country of origin. People find themselves in a new country, receive a large amount of information from different institutions and are not always able to immediately understand which authority is responsible for what», the agency explained.
The agency notes that Arabic, Urdu and Pashto interpreters are now permanently available in Pabradė, while interpretation into other languages can be arranged promptly when necessary through the VERTIS system, which provides interpretation in more than 40 languages.
According to the agency, five contracts have been concluded with translation agencies to ensure language support, while the number of specialists providing legal consultations is gradually increasing.
LITHUANIA STILL FALLS SHORT OF EUROPEAN STANDARDS
Erika Leonaitė | J. Stacevičius / LRT photo
According to Leonaitė, different EU countries face different migration-related challenges, but common standards for the treatment of migrants are laid down in European law. “We are still falling short of those standards,” she acknowledged.
At the same time, the ombudsperson takes a positive view of the willingness of state institutions to improve the situation.
«It is encouraging that, in discussions with representatives of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour and the Reception and Integration Agency, the question is no longer whether human rights standards should be respected, but what needs to be done to implement them in practice», Leonaitė noted.
According to the Office of the Seimas Ombudspersons, some shortcomings related to the provision of hygiene products, seasonal clothing and material living conditions have already been addressed. However, more complex issues remain. These include adapting premises for people with disabilities and the practice of effectively isolating certain groups of foreigners.
Under the Law on the Seimas Ombudspersons, institutions that receive recommendations from the ombudspersons are required to consider them within 30 days and provide information on the measures that will be taken to implement them. In addition, when preparing an implementation plan, the relevant authorities must consult the Office of the Seimas Ombudspersons.
At the same time, both institutions note that implementing some of the recommendations will require more time. Some measures are planned for completion by the end of this year, while initiatives requiring additional financial resources and organisational preparation are expected to be implemented by the middle of next year or later.
About The Author
