More about the Right to Private and Family Life

Section 96 of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia
Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 17 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Article 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

Contents of the right to private life form from: personal identity, physical or moral integrity, including esteem and dignity, personal living space, sexual activities and social relations, as well as relations with other individuals including information about such relations. It also includes the right to keep the private life in secret from other private individuals. The State has the duty not only to abstain from unjustified interference with private life of individuals but also to protect them from infringement on part of their fellow citizens and mass media.

Complains involving the right of individuals to private life are related to various matters: inviolability of correspondence and home, the extent to which information may be disclosed; transliteration of surnames into Latvian language; use of photographs; tapping of telephone conversations; control of e-correspondence and video surveillance without previous notice; protection of personal data, etc.

The right of individuals to family life includes such aspects as registration of marriage, inviolability of family life, the right to establish family, etc.