For the first time in its history, the Czech Republic has appointed a Children’s Ombudsman. Members of Parliament have elected Martin Beneš to the position. He will serve as a defender of children’s rights for the next six years.

In an interview for the  Human Rights Bulletin, Beneš outlined the key priorities he intends to focus on in his new role:

“My priority is to ensure a well-functioning and regionally balanced system of social and legal protection of children, including all its related structures. This includes thorough preparation for the upcoming ban on placing children under the age of seven in institutional care, which will come into force in two years, as well as the broader reform of institutional care. I also see as essential addressing the needs of children and young people in the area of mental health, and ensuring equal access not only to education but also to other basic needs, such as healthcare and decent housing.”

Martin Beneš

Martin Beneš has spent most of his professional career at a District Court, first serving as a judge in the commercial division and later as the court’s president. In 2016, he became a guardianship judge, a position he held until now. In this role, he worked within an interdisciplinary team, applying the principles of problem-solving justice.

In addition to his judicial career, he has been active as a consultant and lecturer, focusing on guardianship, shared parenting, and parental disputes resolution. He has collaborated with organisations including the Ministry of Justice, the Judicial Academy and the Czech Bar Association.

He has completed several professional placements, including a six-month internship at the European Court of Human Rights. He is also a member of the Active Reserve of the Czech Armed Forces.

Establishment of the Children’s Ombudsman

The Children’s Ombudsman institution began operating in the Czech Republic on 1 July 2025. For the first eight months, the Deputy Children’s Ombudsman, Vít Alexander Schorm carried out this role. 

Until recently, the Czech Republic was one of the last EU countries without a dedicated Children’s Ombudsman. This gap reflected an outstanding obligation stemming from the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as recommendations from the United Nations and the Council of Europe.

Several years of debate preceded the current legal framework establishing the Children’s Ombudsman. A major breakthrough came in April 2024, when the government approved the amendment. The bill was then submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, which gave it final approval in January 2025. It subsequently passed the Senate in February 2025, completing the legislative process with the signature of President Petr Pavel in March 2025.

Speech by Michael O'Flaherty, delivered at the 50^th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities: "Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine: A Strategic Approach to Supporting the Recovery and Reconstruction of Ukraine at Local and Regional Levels"

President

Members of Congress

At the outset allow me to congratulate you, President, on your election. I offer you every best wish as you commence your term of office.

I also join in welcoming new members of Congress.

It is my task to support the Council of Europe Member States to better embed respect for human rights across all their operations. In that regard I look forward to ever deepened engagement and cooperation with you.  I should add that for me it is personal – I am the son and the grandson of mayors of my home city and I have a deep appreciation of the role and importance of local government.

I acknowledge that today I address you on what is a shared high priority. Indeed, support for the human rights of the people of Ukraine is my top priority and I have visited the country on a number of occasions since the full-scale invasion commenced.

• I deplore every aspect of the Russian aggression, including;
• the sustained attacks on children and adults.
• the abduction of civilians, including children.
• the horrific mistreatment of people in the temporarily occupied territories.
• the wholescale destruction of property and utilities and damage done to the environment.
• the displacement of millions of people both within the country and to other countries.
• the campaigns of disinformation

I join all the Council of Europe and other voices in condemning the violations of international law and in demanding accountability on the part of Russia and its leaders.

At the same time, I express my deepest respect for those efforts of Ukraine and its people to defend human rights and to uphold human dignity.

Today my focus is on local and regional initiatives. In this regard, I have had the good fortune to appreciate work done at these levels during visits to Kyiv, Bucha and Lviv, meetings with the Lviv-based community of people displaced from Mariupol and with the Kyiv-based President’s Representative in Crimea.

Repeatedly I encountered passion, courage and resilience. I also observed innovation and highly competent service-delivery, such as in Lviv’s multi-dimensional ‘Unbroken’ project. I am also aware of the heroism of such local leaders as the mayors of Kherson and Irpin. And I have learned of the groundbreaking community recovery efforts in Izium, Kharkiv and elsewhere.

I have also grown ever more aware of the extensive programme of support to Ukrainian local and regional administrations on the part of you in Congress. Your steadfast attention since 2022 is commendable. I appreciate the governance-related project you run under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine as well as your promotion of partnerships between Ukrainian and other authorities across Europe. And I encourage you to continue to build awareness among displaced Ukrainians of the possibility to register claims at the Register of Damage.

Dear friends,

The attention paid by Congress to issues of recovery and reconstruction is especially important and I welcome the strategic report under discussion today. I commend the co-rapporteurs for the analysis and for the draft resolution.

The focus of attention of the strategic report parallels my own current work regarding Ukraine, which is about the embedding of attention to human beings – to human welfare and dignity - in the path to peace. I do that by advocating for the application of a human-rights based approach along that pathway.

Last July, I delivered to the government, a memorandum on the issue. I drew attention to ten areas in need of particular attention. While one of these is explicitly concerning reconstruction and recovery, almost all the others are also of direct relevance to the topic.

Drawing on my memorandum and on good practice across the world, I strongly encourage you also to embed attention to human rights across your efforts for reconstruction and recovery.

A starting point in this regard would be to frame your efforts drawing on five foundational human rights principles. These are:

• First, participation. This is the recognition that our peoples should be at the heart of efforts to support them or, in other words, ‘nothing for us without us.’
• Second, accountability. Here the focus is not on Russia but on those actors responsible for reconstruction. It is about transparency, proper procedures, and the possibility for aggrieved persons to access justice.
• Third, non-discrimination and equality. This principle concerns ensuring that no one is left behind, that there be no unfair preferences to certain groups or communities and that close attention be paid to such matters as gender parity.
• Fourth, empowerment. This recall that all efforts should aim to empower our communities to shape their own destinies.
• The final principle is that of legality. This recalls how it is essential for reconstruction and recovery to be in full compliance with relevant human rights law, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter. It also includes numerous United Nations texts, including Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.

Applying these principles in practice in the context of Ukraine throws up some especially important areas of attention. Time is short today – but allow me to share a few examples.

Take for instance how multiple principles require us to pay close attention to conflict-affected victims in all their diversity. We need to identify and address the situations of such groups as, those rendered homeless, returning refugees and IDPs, the injured, persons with disabilities, veterans, families with children, and older people. At every moment attention is needed to the distinct experiences of women and men.

The principles no less remind us of how core reconstruction goals should include social inclusion, social cohesion and the integration of diverse communities. Considering recent human rights developments, they also focus on the importance of protecting the environment. Across all of these and many other sectors, civil society must be allowed and resourced to play its indispensable roles.

And the principle of accountability recalls the importance of human rights compliance and proper practice of all actors, including authorities and the national and international private sector.

Dear members of Congress,

I strongly believe that the explicit operationalising of human rights in your work for recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine would enrich it still further. I hope today that I have at least in part demonstrated to you the value of such an approach. I encourage you also to review my memorandum for a more developed sense of what the approach could look like in practice.

In so saying, I am of course, aware that the devastating aggression continues. I am no less aware of the great power politics that remain in play.

But, as I am sure you agree, these are no reason to hesitate. Already much can be achieved, and we must rigorously plan and prepare for the end of hostilities.

Our goal is indeed to ‘build back better’ – and that can be achieved if, through attention to human rights, we put the humanity and dignity of every person in Ukraine at the very centre of our efforts.

Thank you

Download the speech - CommHR(2026)27

En janvier 2020, un homme est décédé à la suite d’un contrôle routier. La Défenseure des droits s’était saisie d’office des conditions de cette mort violente. Dans sa décision publiée le 1er avril 2026 à l’issue d’une enquête contradictoire approfondie, Claire Hédon conclut à plusieurs manquements graves aux règles déontologiques et demande au ministre de l’intérieur d’engager des poursuites disciplinaires contre les policiers.

Un bref rappel des faits

Le 3 janvier 2020 vers 10 heures du matin, un homme circule sur son scooter. Alors qu'il utilise son téléphone portable en roulant, il est contrôlé par quatre policiers.

Les policiers procèdent à la verbalisation dans un climat tendu. L’opération dure une dizaine de minutes et le ton monte entre un des policiers et l’homme, tandis que ce dernier filme la scène avec son téléphone portable.

Après un ultime échange d’invectives, les policiers décident de l’interpeller. Face à sa résistance, ils font usage de la force.
Clés d’étranglement et placage ventral sont utilisés, malgré les plaintes de l’homme qu’on entend, grâce à l’enregistrement de son tél portable, répéter à neuf reprises « j’étouffe ».
Il décède le 5 janvier à l'hôpital.

L’enquête du Défenseur des droits

La mission dévolue au Défenseur des droits par la loi organique du 29 mars 2011 est de déterminer si les obligations déontologiques des fonctionnaires de police ont été respectées. Il ne lui appartient pas de se prononcer sur l’existence d’une infraction pénale, prérogative exclusive de l’autorité judiciaire.
Une information judiciaire a été ouverte auprès du tribunal judiciaire de Paris le 7 janvier 2020 contre personne non dénommée du chef d’homicide involontaire.

La Défenseure des droits a conduit une enquête contradictoire approfondie, en s’appuyant notamment sur les pièces transmises par les juges d’instruction, parmi lesquelles les enregistrements vidéo du téléphone portable, et sur l’audition des quatre policiers qui ont procédé à l’interpellation.

La Défenseure des droits conclut à des manquements aux règles déontologiques

L’enquête menée par la Défenseure des droits met en évidence des manquements aux obligations des policiers lors des deux phases de l’opération qui ont conduit au décès : le contrôle puis l’interpellation.

Sur la gestion de la situation conflictuelle par les policiers lors du contrôle :

• La Défenseure des droits considère que les propos tenus lors du contrôle et de la verbalisation par l’un des gardiens de la paix contreviennent aux obligations de respect de la dignité, de courtoisie et d’exemplarité qui incombent aux policiers ;
• Elle considère également que les policiers n’ont pas adopté les mesures nécessaires à la désescalade d’une situation conflictuelle pour réaliser le contrôle dans des conditions sereines et que leur comportement a accentué l’intensité du conflit ;

Sur l’usage de la force lors de l’interpellation : 

• La Défenseure des droits constate que les gestes et les paroles de l’homme ont légitimement pu être interprétés par les policiers comme une opposition à son interpellation pouvant rendre nécessaire l’usage de la force et de la contrainte pour l’interpeller.
• Néanmoins, le cumul des gestes techniques réalisés par les policiers, à savoir deux clés d’étranglement successives, et la seconde cumulée à un plaquage ventral par trois policiers, caractérise un usage manifestement disproportionné de la force qui a provoqué le décès.

Les recommandations de la Défenseure des droits

La Défenseure des droits saisit le ministre de l’intérieur afin qu’il engage une procédure disciplinaire à l’encontre des gardiens de la paix pour leurs manquements respectifs :

• Manquements aux devoirs de respect de la dignité, de courtoisie et d’exemplarité prévues aux articles R. 434-12 et R. 434-14 du code de la sécurité intérieure (CSI) caractérisés par les propos tenus à l’encontre de l’homme lors du contrôle ;
• Non-respect du principe de proportionnalité dans l’usage de la force prévu aux articles R. 434-17 et R. 434-18 du CSI caractérisé par la réalisation de deux clés d’étranglement et d’un plaquage ventral en appui sur le corps de la personne interpellée sans prendre en considération son état de santé.

La technique de la clé d’étranglement était enseignée à l’école de police à l’époque des faits et a été abandonnée le 30 juillet 2021. La Défenseure des droits salue l’abandon de cette technique particulièrement dangereuse pour l’intégrité physique de la personne interpellée. Elle constate en revanche que le cadre d’emploi de la technique du plaquage ventral demeure trop imprécis compte tenu de sa dangerosité et des obligations européennes de protection de la vie des personnes sous contrôle de l’Etat. Elle recommande au ministre de l’intérieur d’établir un cadre normatif clair pour l’emploi de cette technique et de renforcer la formation des policiers pour tenir compte de la gravité des risques encourus par les personnes interpellées.

À la suite du décès, une enquête administrative a été réalisée par l’IGPN. Elle proposait dès le 22 juillet 2021 des procédures et sanctions disciplinaires à l’encontre des quatre policiers.
La Défenseure des droits constate qu’aucune suite n’a été donnée depuis lors, alors même que l’enquête a permis d’établir les faits et de mettre en évidence des manquements déontologiques. Elle rappelle que l’autorité hiérarchique a l’obligation de contrôler ses subordonnés et le devoir de réagir dès lors que ces derniers ont manqué à leurs obligations déontologiques.
La Défenseure des droits recommande par conséquent au ministre de l’intérieur d’engager sans plus attendre les procédures disciplinaires recommandées par l’IGPN et la présente décision.

Consulter la décision 2026-062

Summary of the decision: In this case, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has investigated the general method applied by the City of Stockholm’s Chief Guardian Committee to auditing legal guardians’ annual accounts. The Parliamentary Ombudsman underlines that auditing annual accounts is an important part of the chief guardian’s work to ensure that the client’s assets are used correctly and appropriately. Among other things, she points out that a thorough audit must include an assessment of whether the reported items are reasonable and whether the expenses incurred actually relate to the individual and whether they are for their benefit. The Parliamentary Ombudsman also notes that vigilance is called for so that irregularities do not occur, and underlines that high demands must be placed on the chief guardian’s supervisory activities. While the Parliamentary Ombudsman understands that in certain cases a more general audit may be permissible, she emphasises that a working method involving an initial general reconciliation and audit must not mean that only the formalities of the annual accounts are checked.

In the case reported to the Parliamentary Ombudsmen, it took just under a year for the committee to complete its audit of the annual accounts and decide on the legal guardian’s fee. The committee is criticised for its slow processing time.

On 31 March, Ombudswoman of Latvia Karina Palkova participated in the Annual Meeting of the GANHRI (Global Alliance Of National Human Rights Institutions) in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss current global human rights challenges with human rights defenders from other countries.During the event, the Ombudswoman received a highly significant document – accreditation certificate acknowledging that the Ombudsman’s Office of Latvia meets highest UN standards, enabling it to advocate for residents of Latvian also at the international level. It should be noted that the Ombudsman’s Office has received this accreditation for the third time, each time reaffirming that work of the institution is centred on the individual and on finding solutions at the highest level.We are also delighted for our friends – Office of the Estonian Chancellor of Justice and Finnish Human Rights Centre who have also received the UN’s highest evaluation. During a meeting with colleagues from the Ukrainian Ombudsman’s Office the Latvian Ombudswoman confirmed readiness to provide assistance to the Ukrainian Ombudsman’s Office on their path to UN accreditation, which is scheduled to take place in just a few months.GANHRI is a global network that brings together more than 110 national human rights institutions (NHRIs) to promote and protect human rights in accordance with the Paris Principles. GANHRI provides accreditation, offers support, and fosters cooperation among institutions, operating as an independent organization with a secretariat in Geneva.