During nine monitoring visits in 2025 to institutions with children, the Parlia-mentary Ombudsman focused on conditions for 15-17-year-olds in state and local prisons.

Generally, young people are not to be placed in a state or local prison. Howev-er, considerations of for example law enforcement may mean that it happens after all when 15-17-year-olds are remanded in custody or have to serve a sentence.
Particular attention to young people
The Ombudsman concludes that staff in the visited institutions generally paid particular attention to the young people. They were also generally familiar with the relevant rules and with the Danish Prison Service’s guidelines on treatment of underage inmates, which had been drawn up in continuation of the Om-budsman’s monitoring visits in 2017 regarding young people in state and local prisons, among other places.

However, the monitoring visits also showed that custodial parents generally did not receive information and guidance in a way that enabled them to look after the underage persons’ interests during the imprisonment. The Ombudsman therefore makes a general recommendation regarding the case processing in the Danish Prison Service.

‘Young people under 18 constitute a small and potentially vulnerable group of inmates in state and local prisons. It is crucial that they are treated in accord-ance with their rights and that the parents are included to a relevant extent so that they can help look after the young peoples’ interests during the imprison-ment’, says Parliamentary Ombudsman Christian Britten Lundblad.
Focus on securing relevant places
The Ombudsman’s investigation has shown that, in certain instances, young people may be placed in institutions that do not have designated places for young people – and that this also applies beyond short-term placements. How-ever, based among other things on the information that additional places for young people were established in 2025, it is the Ombudsman’s impression that there is a management focus in the Danish Prison Service on ensuring that young people are placed in institutions that can accommodate the special needs associated with the treatment of underage inmates.

In the thematic report, the Ombudsman recommends, among other things, that the institutions ensure that, on arrival of a young inmate, a special treatment plan is drawn up for the young person as soon as possible, for example in the form of relevant education and activation programmes.

At a meeting, the Ombudsman has discussed his observations and recom-mendations with the Danish Prison Service, and he will follow up on them at future meetings and future monitoring visits.

Read the Ombudsman’s thematic report.

Further details:
Director of International Relations Klavs Kinnerup Hede
kkh@ombudsmanden.dk

On July 3, 2026, the Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, submitted a special report - “Legislative and Practical Analysis of the Use of Preventive Measures”.

The report reflects the results of the study of the rulings issued by common courts in 2024-2025 on the use, change or cancellation of preventive measures, analyzes international standards and local legislation, and presents recommendations developed to eliminate the shortcomings identified as a result of the practice and legislative analysis.

The Public Defender noted in his speech that the issue of imposing a preventive measure on a person has repeatedly become the subject of study by the Public Defender’s Office within the framework of individual casework. However, the presented special report covers a broader study of legislative standards and judicial practice on the use of preventive measures. It goes beyond individual cases and reveals systemic problems. In addition, it reflects important and exceptionally valuable clarifications made by common courts in a number of cases.

The presentation was attended by Members of Parliament of Georgia, representatives of the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, Prosecutor’s Office, National Probation Service, Georgian Bar Association, Legal Aid Service and common courts.

The event was welcomed by Rati Ionatamishvili, Chair of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, and Levan Tevzadze, Deputy Chair of the Supreme Court.

Following the presentation, a discussion was held on the issues reflected in the report.

El Defensor del Pueblo ha iniciado una actuación solicitando a doce ayuntamientos de la Región de Murcia información acerca de la prohibición expresa, en cláusulas de sus ordenanzas municipales, del acceso a licencias públicas de taxis -y al trabajo como taxista- a personas que padecen el Virus de Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH).

Esta actuación se inicia tras interponer una queja la Unión General de Trabajadores en la Región de Murcia al considerar que esta limitación podría constituir una vulneración del principio de igualdad y no discriminación, consagrado en el artículo 14 de la Constitución Española y en la Ley Integral para la Igualdad de Trato y no Discriminación de 15/2022. El sindicato estima, también, que está exclusión podría ir contra las resoluciones y recomendaciones de organismo internacionales como la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) o la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT).

La institución Defensor del Pueblo ha requerido a los ayuntamientos citados en la queja del sindicato que informen sobre las ordenanzas referidas y sobre las limitaciones impuestas a personas con VIH, así como las medidas que pudieran adoptarse por esas corporaciones para garantizar los derechos de las personas afectadas por la exclusión referida y evitar, así, cualquier posible trato discriminatorio.

Today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, released Observations warning against the premature winding down of protection and assistance for the millions of Ukrainians displaced across Europe by Russia’s ongoing war of aggression.

The Observations build on the Commissioner's earlier statement and come amid a debate over diminishing support for displaced Ukrainians. This includes the potential phasing out or restriction of the EU’s temporary protection arrangements, alongside individual member states’ rollbacks. As of March 2026, more than 4.3 million people displaced from Ukraine were under temporary protection in the EU alone, with hundreds of thousands more residing in non-EU Council of Europe member states.

“To avoid a protection gap for millions of displaced Ukrainians across the continent, Europe’s welcome in 2022 must be matched today by a renewed commitment. Now is the time for more solidarity, not less,” said Commissioner O'Flaherty.

The Commissioner expresses concern about the mounting pressure to prematurely end temporary protection arrangements and restrict access for specific groups, such as men of conscription age and individuals from regions deemed safe. Other worrying trends across Europe include reductions in social support, policies promoting premature returns, and rising anti-Ukrainian sentiment in host countries.

“The current realities on the ground in Ukraine do not meet the conditions for a safe and dignified return. Transitioning individuals out of collective temporary protection without a robust safety net risks driving millions into legal limbo, poverty, and unsafe unvoluntary returns,” added Commissioner O’Flaherty.

Blanket restrictions on temporary protection for specific categories of people raise human rights concerns. The Commissioner emphasised that no part of Ukraine can currently be considered safe; civilian casualties in 2025 and in recent months have reached their highest levels since 2022. Missile and drone attacks continue to strike civilian targets across the country, including western regions far from the front line. Furthermore, issues related to military service may trigger protection claims, and member states must ensure access to individualised assessments.

The Commissioner’s Observations set out guidance for the next phase of Europe's response to displacement from Ukraine, issuing a call to action, rooted in member states’ human rights obligations.

Key recommendations to Council of Europe member states include:

> Ensure continuity of protection for as long as necessary, through the extension of temporary protection or alternative legal statuses, until conditions in Ukraine permit a safe, dignified and durable return, in accordance with international refugee law and human rights obligations.

> Avoid unsafe or premature returns by refraining from policies, such as cuts to social assistance or barriers, that leave displaced persons with no real choice but to leave host countries or live in limbo.

> Guarantee protection without discrimination based on employment status, duration of stay or other factors and explicitly address the needs of vulnerable groups, including older persons, single caregiver women, children, persons with disabilities, and those from temporarily occupied territories. 

> Maintain access to national asylum systems: if transitions or restrictions are introduced to collective protection schemes, states must guarantee full access to individualised asylum procedures.

> Plan for future returns: ensure all returns are voluntary, safe, dignified and well-informed. States should cooperate to plan for long-term reconstruction, property compensation or restitution, and social cohesion for when safe and durable returns become viable.

The Commissioner draws on his 2025 memorandum on human rights elements for peace in Ukraine, consultations with EU stakeholders, the UNHCR, Ukrainian authorities, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, the diaspora and civil society, alongside testimony from displaced Ukrainians in Karlsruhe (Germany), Chișinău (Moldova) and Strasbourg (France)

• Read the Commissioner’s Observations on safeguarding Ukrainians displaced across Europe