You should complain locally first – to the Lithuanian authorities and courts. International and European institutions will not accept your claim if you have not first tried to complain to the local institutions. You can only go to international and European institutions if you think that the violation of your rights have not been remedied by Lithuanian institutions.

Prison staff and the head of your prison are responsible for the maintenance of good conditions and order at the prison. They are supervised by an institution called the Lithuanian Prison Director. Therefore, you can generally submit all complaints about the prison staff or fellow inmates to either the head of the prison or to the Lithuanian Prison Department. Read more about the general complaints procedure.

In some situations you have to submit your complaint to special institutions created for dealing with a specific type of claim, such as the investigation of crimes or the assessment of the quality of medical care. Read more about these exceptions.