From September 25 to 27, 2026, the Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, paid a working visit to Ashgabat at the invitation of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Turkmenistan, Yazdursun Gurbannazarova.

During the visit, bilateral meetings were held at the Office of the Ombudsman of Turkmenistan, the Parliament (Mejlis), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the meeting with the Commissioner for Human Rights of Turkmenistan, the parties discussed the importance of the long-standing cooperation between their institutions. Yazdursun Gurbannazarova spoke positively about the work of the Georgian Public Defender’s Office - particularly the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) - and expressed readiness to draw upon the Georgian experience in establishing a national preventive mechanism. The parties agreed to sign a memorandum of cooperation next year to mark the 10th anniversary of the Ombudsman institution of Turkmenistan.

During the visit to Ashgabat, the Public Defender also met with the Chair of the Committee on International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations of the Parliament of Turkmenistan and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The meetings focused on the 30-year practice of the Public Defender’s Office, its institutional development, and the structure of the annual parliamentary report. Discussions also addressed the situation of women’s rights, including the strengthening of women’s participation in the legislative process and decision-making within the Parliament. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan emphasized the importance of sharing the practice of the Public Defender of Georgia, an institution recognized as one of the best in the region and possessing a broad mandate.

As part of the events dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence, Levan Ioseliani—together with Konstantine Sabiashvili, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Turkmenistan, and representatives of the diplomatic corps - participated in a flower-laying ceremony at the Independence Monument and visited the Embassy of Georgia in Turkmenistan.

Parliamentary Ombudsman Jari Råman criticises the procedure of the police during the night-time transport of a remand prisoner, which lasted around 10 hours. The transport started in the evening at 20:30 and ended in the morning at around 6:00. During the journey, the prisoner was transferred between police cars seven times, travelling in the rear of van-type police vehicles throughout the journey.

According to the Ombudsman, no acceptable reason had been given for the night-time transport. The transport was based on the assumption that the transfer of the prisoner must be carried out immediately. However, the District Court decision contained no such order. According to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the police could have arranged the transport for the following day.

“A remand prisoner or other person held in police custody must not be prevented from sleeping during the night without compelling grounds. Night-time transport may only be justified in exceptional situations with a compelling and very weighty reason, such as a sudden security threat or a medical emergency,” Råman says.

No fault was found in the procedure of the police patrol units involved in the transport. However, the Ombudsman drew the attention of the inspector who had decided on the transport to the fact that decision-making on the transport of prisoners requires careful case-by-case deliberation.

Parliamentary Ombudsman requests reassessment of reform of Act on the Transport of Prisoners

The decision also assessed the division of duties between the police and the Criminal Sanctions Agency in the transport of prisoners. The Act does not clearly indicate whether the police can first take a remand prisoner to the nearest prison, from where the Criminal Sanctions Agency would transport them onwards using its own vehicles. For long journeys, this could be a more humane option for the prisoner than having to sit in a police car. The Parliamentary Ombudsman draws attention to the fact that the remand prisoner travelled the entire journey in the back of police vans. The Ombudsman draws attention to the fact that the van-type police transport vehicles are unsuitable for long journeys, which is also evident from the statements provided by the police in the matter.

According to the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the division of duties between the Criminal Sanctions Agency and the police is still based on a decree issued in 1954. According to the Ombudsman, such significant tasks involving the exercise of public authority should be regulated more precisely by law than at present.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman requests that the Ministry of Justice assess whether it could resume the suspended reform of the Act on the Transport of Prisoners. The ministry must state by 26 February 2027 what measures the decision has given rise to.

Decision EOAK/4691/2025 is available (in Finnish) on the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s website at www.oikeusasiamies.fi.

Further information is available from Senior Legal Adviser Peter Fagerholm, tel. +358 9 432 3372.

Today, Human Rights Ombudswoman Dr Simona Drenik Bavdek submitted and presented the 31st Annual Report of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia and the Annual Report of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2025 to the Minister of Justice, Dr Mihael Zupančič, and the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar. She emphasized that the findings, recommendations and statistical data relate to real people who were unable to exercise their rights promptly or effectively.

In 2025, the Ombudsman dealt with 6,517 cases, which was 3.64 per cent more than in the previous year. The Ombudsman considered 3,681 complaints, resolving 2,941 of them (79.90 per cent), and conducted 2,792 in-person and telephone consultations.

Of the 203 substantiated complaints involving alleged human rights violations, the Ombudsman identified 238 violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as other irregularities. The most frequently identified violation was a breach of the principle of good administration, recorded in 59 cases. This was followed by violations of equality before the law, the right to social security, the principles of the rule of law and the social state, unjustified delays in proceedings, and violations of the right to healthcare, the rights of persons with disabilities, and the right to equal protection of rights.

Of particular concern is the fact that 100 (62.5%) of the 160 previous Ombudsman recommendations that remain relevant have not yet been implemented. In 2025, the Ombudsman made a further 57 recommendations and identified five ongoing tasks.

Discussions were held with the Minister of Justice regarding outstanding recommendations and necessary systemic changes

The Ombudswoman briefed the Minister of Justice, Dr Mihael Zupančič, on outstanding recommendations for which the Ministry of Justice is the sole addressee, a joint addressee, or the required coordinator. According to the Ombudsman’s records, 16 such recommendations or ongoing tasks remain active. The oldest outstanding recommendations include two from 2021. One of these concerns the expansion of the possibility of subsidiary prosecution for the criminal offence of public incitement to hatred, violence or intolerance under Article 297 of the Criminal Code. The other recommendation relates to the publication of significant judgements delivered by the European Court of Human Rights against other countries in Slovenian.

A significant part of the discussion concerned prison conditions. The Ombudswoman drew attention to the critical shortage of prison officers, prisoners’ access to healthcare and psychiatric care, and the situation of elderly, sick and disabled prisoners. She also emphasized the importance of maintaining contact with their families. She also emphasized the necessity of clearer legislative rules to govern the supervision of house arrest and the limitations placed on the rights of detainees and their family members.

The two interlocutors also discussed the situation of women prisoners and the timely preparation for the implementation of the Juvenile Criminal Justice Act, as well as judicial reform. The ombudswoman emphasized the importance of effective procedural safeguards for vulnerable people and children, highlighted the shortage of clinical psychologists, child psychiatrists, and court experts, and stressed the need to consistently apply child-friendly justice standards, including in family and other civil proceedings. With regard to access to justice, she emphasized that, as the judiciary becomes increasingly digitalized, the state must retain a comprehensible and effective non-digital route. The effect of videoconferencing on the quality of trials must also be monitored, as must the consequences of reorganizing the court network for people in different parts of the country, and the system of lay judges must be appropriately regulated.

The Ombudswoman also called on the minister to prepare a comprehensive amendment to the Human Rights Ombudsman Act. This should ensure timely and transparent appointment procedures, continuity in the institution's leadership, and its functional, staffing, and financial independence. The Act should also regulate the protection of children’s rights more appropriately, as well as the performance of the national human rights institution's functions and the independent mechanism for monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In June 2026, the ombudsman was reaccredited as an A-status national human rights institution under the Paris Principles. The Ombudsman also received recommendations concerning the further strengthening of the statutory safeguards for its independence.

The discussion also covered hate speech, hate motivation, and responsible public discourse. Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democratic society, but it is not absolute. It is limited by the rights of others, human dignity, and the constitutional prohibition of incitement to inequality, intolerance, and violence. Public office holders have a particular responsibility to promote firm yet respectful public discourse, and to unequivocally reject dehumanization, incitement and violence.

'The annual reports reflect the state of human rights in society. Recommendations are our tool, but their true purpose is to effect change in practice. I therefore expect the Ministry to provide a clear overview of who is responsible for implementing each recommendation, the next steps and the completion dates. Urgent measures are needed in the prison system, in healthcare provision for prisoners, in the implementation of the new juvenile justice framework, and in preparing amendments to the Human Rights Ombudsman Act. A recommendation is only implemented when people's situation actually improves,' emphasized Human Rights Ombudswoman Dr Simona Drenik Bavdek.

She proposed that the Ministry prepare a substantive review of the implementation of all active recommendations, identify those responsible, and set deadlines. She also expressed her expectation that the ministries' responses in the government response report would be clear, substantive and mutually coordinated.

A discussion with the President of the Republic was held regarding independent institutions, state accountability and public trust

The Ombudswoman presented the annual reports to the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, providing an overview of the effective implementation of human rights and a basis for strengthening constitutional culture. She emphasized that a right enshrined in law is insufficient if an individual cannot exercise it due to a failure to respond by an authority, excessively lengthy proceedings or shifting responsibility between authorities. Good administration is not an administrative add-on, but a prerequisite for the equal and dignified treatment of people.

The Ombudswoman also highlighted the importance of independent oversight institutions for constitutional democracy and the system of checks and balances. For most of 2025, the ombudsman institution operated without a head who had been elected to a full term of office. Nevertheless, it performed its duties without interruption and maintained its professionalism, independence, accessibility, and international activities. This experience confirms the need for timely and transparent appointments, as well as legally guaranteed continuity in the leadership of independent institutions.

The Ombudswoman also informed the president of the prolonged failure to implement the ombudsman’s recommendations. She emphasized the importance of regularly monitoring the implementation of recommendations and decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia, and of executing judgements of the European Court of Human Rights, and making this monitoring publicly accessible. Responsible bodies must be clearly identified, as well as deadlines, reasoned responses and verification of the actual effects of the measures adopted.

Children’s rights were among the key substantive issues highlighted. Due to lengthy family and judicial proceedings, a shortage of court experts and limited access to child psychiatric and clinical psychological assistance, children may experience uncertainty for several years. The Ombudswoman therefore emphasized the need to strengthen the system of independent protection of children’s rights. She also informed the President that Slovenia had not yet properly established the independent mechanism required under Article 33(2) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for promoting, protecting and monitoring its implementation.

'A strong, professional and genuinely independent ombudsman is not a rival to the other branches of government, but an essential part of the system of checks and balances.' When 100 of the previous 160 recommendations remain unimplemented, merely enshrining rights in law is not enough. The state must show who will take action, how they will act, and by when. People trust the state when institutions explain their actions, acknowledge and rectify their mistakes, and apply the rules equally to everyone,” she emphasized when presenting the reports to the President of the Republic.

The National Preventive Mechanism issued 329 recommendations

The Ombudswoman also submitted the 2025 annual report of the national preventive mechanism to both interlocutors. The National Preventive Mechanism visited 73 places of deprivation of liberty, 71 of which were unannounced visits, and issued 329 recommendations to the institutions visited. It conducted 16 regular visits, 20 follow-up visits and 37 thematic visits.

The findings point to recurring problems involving staffing, medical and psychiatric care, accommodation conditions, and the treatment of older people, sick people, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable people. Deprivation of liberty does not entail the loss of human dignity, and independent preventive monitoring is essential to prevent inhuman or degrading treatment.

The annual reports call on the relevant authorities to translate the findings and recommendations into concrete measures with clearly defined responsibilities and timeframes. Public institutions and all decision-makers acting on behalf of the state or local authorities exist to serve the people. Their decisions must respect human rights and safeguard human dignity.

The 2025 Activity Report of the Portuguese Ombudsperson, together with the Report of the National Preventive Mechanism, was today, 23 September, submitted to the Assembly of the Republic.

The reports set out the institution’s work to safeguard citizens’ rights in their dealings with public authorities, as well as the exercise of its functions as a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) and as the national body responsible for preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

In 2025, the institution received complaints from 15,342 people, representing a 30.1% increase compared with the previous year. During the same period, 9,685 complaint cases were processed, an increase of 6.6% compared with 2024.

This significant increase occurred in a year marked by a prolonged vacancy in the office of the Ombudsperson. Nevertheless, it may be seen as evidence of the institution’s strong standing in society and of the confidence placed in its role in safeguarding rights. Despite the vacancy, the institution maintained its regular activities, examining complaints, engaging with public authorities and informing citizens of the outcomes of its interventions.

The vacancy did, however, prevent the exercise of certain important statutory powers vested in the Ombudsperson, notably the power to issue formal recommendations and to initiate constitutional and legality review proceedings before the Constitutional Court, both in cases of abstract review of legislation and in cases of legislative omission.

The inability to exercise these powers for such a prolonged period therefore represented a significant anomaly in the functioning of the system of checks and balances.

Structure and highlights

As in previous years, drawing on information gathered through complaints concerning various public administration bodies and services, the Report identifies a general issue of systemic concern. In the year marking the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, particular attention was paid to the way in which public administration interacts with citizens.

The Report highlights instances of maladministration and poor administration that undermine basic standards governing the functioning of public services, including respect for the procedural safeguards afforded to individuals. It also highlights the Ombudsperson’s broad and sustained intervention in the field of children’s rights.

The Report demonstrates that the protection of children’s rights frequently depends on addressing problems affecting families’ living conditions. The complaints examined include cases concerning insufficient or delayed responses in the provision of social housing; the demolition of precarious structures in informal settlements without prior guarantees of alternative accommodation for families with children; delays and difficulties in the granting of social benefits and parental leave allowances; and challenges in reconciling family and professional responsibilities.

The Report also provides a carefully selected overview of the issues examined by the institution. Through concise accounts of the handling of individual complaints, it identifies problems in relation to which the Ombudsperson’s intervention extended beyond the resolution of individual cases and sought to contribute to improving administrative action and practice.

The breadth and diversity of the issues addressed — ranging from the environment and spatial planning to matters of citizenship and employment, as well as taxation and issues relating to justice and internal security — reflect the broad scope of the Ombudsperson’s mandate.

These issues were also addressed in a follow-up report on the institution’s previous assessment of public-facing services. During the same year, the Ombudsperson’s Office also published a thematic report on noise, identifying noise as a specific public health concern.

Finally, the Report includes substantial statistical data supporting and illustrating the findings presented.

National Preventive Mechanism

Throughout the year, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) strengthened its monitoring of the activities of law enforcement authorities concerning the entry and stay of foreign nationals, as well as its monitoring of police facilities. Particular attention was paid to detention conditions, procedures for lodging complaints, access to healthcare, and the identification of persons in situations of particular vulnerability.

The protection of children and young people is also reflected in the NPM’s work. Within the scope of its mandate, the NPM monitors places where persons are deprived of their liberty or subject to restrictions on their liberty.

In this context, the NPM Report highlights the monitoring of educational centres within the juvenile justice system and visits to residential units within the child protection and promotion system. This work resulted in the publication of a thematic report on specialised residential care for children and young people, which was subsequently presented publicly.

• Ombudsperson’s 2025 Activity Report [in Portuguese only]
• National Preventive Mechanism 2025 Report [in Portuguese only]

Volksanwalt Bernhard Achitz zum Tag der älteren Menschen: Volksanwaltschaft führt Prüfschwerpunkt zum Ernährungsmanagement durch – Ergebnisse im Frühjahr

„Der Umzug in eine Pflegeeinrichtung bedeutet einen großen Einschnitt in den gewohnten Lebensalltag älterer Menschen“, sagt Volksanwalt Bernhard Achitz anlässlich des Internationalen Tags der älteren Menschen (1. Oktober): „Die Ernährung beeinflusst nicht nur die Gesundheit der Heimbewohner*innen. Mahlzeiten geben dem Tag Struktur, sorgen für Austausch mit Mitbewohner*innen und spiegeln Brauchtum, Kultur oder Religion. Umso wichtiger ist es, dass Rücksicht auf Vorlieben und Abneigungen sowie auf Ernährungs- und Essgewohnheiten genommen wird.“ Die Volksanwaltschaft und ihre Kommissionen führen daher derzeit einen Prüfschwerpunkt zum Ernährungsmanagement in der Langzeitpflege durch. Die Ergebnisse werden im kommenden Frühjahr veröffentlicht.

Ernährungsmanagement senkt Mortalitätsraten

Mit zunehmendem Alter steigen die Anforderungen an eine adäquate Ernährung und Flüssigkeitsversorgung. Es ist erwiesen, dass mit ernährungsmedizinischen und -therapeutischen Maßnahmen funktionelle Parameter wie die Muskelkraft verbessert, die Lebensqualität gesteigert und Krankenhaus-Wiedereinweisungsraten sowie die Mortalitätsraten gesenkt werden können. „Aber leider war Mangelernährung bereits im Rahmen der COVID-19-Pandemiebewältigung ein Thema bei Kommissionsbesuchen in Alten- und Pflegeheimen“, sagt Achitz.

Oft zu wenig Personal für Unterstützung beim Essen

Ein Anlass für den Prüfschwerpunkt war, dass die Kommissionen bei ihren Besuchen, die sie im Rahmen der Präventiven Menschenrechtskontrolle durchführen, immer wieder kritische Wahrnehmungen machen: In vielen Einrichtungen gibt es nach wie vor starre bzw. unüblich frühe Essenszeiten. Die Pflegekräfte haben zu wenig Zeit für die Unterstützung von Personen mit reduzierter Selbstständigkeit. In einer Einrichtung musste wegen der veralteten baulichen Struktur das Essen am Gang eingenommen werden, neben den Abfallrollwägen. Es gibt aber auch Best-Practice-Beispiele, wie etwa das „Projekt Dysphagie“ (Schluckstörung) eines Heims in NÖ und Pflegeeinrichtungen, die den Empfehlungen der Volksanwaltschaft betreffend Ernährung und Verpflegung rasch und umfassend nachkommen.

Standardisiertes Ernährungs-Screening muss schon bei der Aufnahme ins Heim stattfinden

Zu den Kernforderungen der Volksanwaltschaften und ihrer Kommissionen zählt, dass „alle Personen, die in eine Pflegeeinrichtung stationär aufgenommen werden, bei der Aufnahme einem standardisierten Ernährungs-Screening unterzogen werden müssen“. Dafür braucht es Pflegekräfte, die kompetent Anzeichen für drohende oder bestehende Mangelernährung erkennen (Screening) und eine vertiefte Einschätzung der Ernährungssituation und die beeinflussenden Faktoren (Assessment) vornehmen können.

Demenz erhöht Risiko von Mangelernährung

Bei der Festlegung des Prüfschwerpunkts spielte nicht zuletzt auch die große Anzahl an Demenz erkrankten Menschen in Pflegeheimen und das damit verbundene erhöhte Risiko von Mangelernährung eine Rolle. Das auch vor dem Hintergrund kritischer Kommissionsberichte, wonach das Erstellen von Essbiografien, regelmäßige Gewichtskontrollen und Risikoscreenings nicht selbstverständlich sind und die von dementen Bewohner*innen tatsächlich aufgenommenen Nahrungs- und Trinkmengen manchmal überschätzt werden.

Volksanwalt Bernhard Achitz: „Ziel des Prüfschwerpunkt ist es, das Bewusstsein von Einrichtungs- und Pflegeleitungen dafür zu schärfen, dass Essen genussvoll sein kann, auch wenn sich die Ernährungsanforderungen im Alter verändern, und dass eine angemessene Ernährungstherapie früh einsetzen muss.“

Stichwort: Präventive Menschenrechtskontrolle

Die Volksanwaltschaft hat den verfassungsgesetzlichen Auftrag, zum Schutz und zur Förderung von Menschenrechten öffentliche und private Einrichtungen zu überprüfen, in denen Menschen in ihrer Freiheit beschränkt sind oder beschränkt werden können. Dazu zählen neben Gefängnissen unter anderem auch Psychiatrien, Alten- und Pflegeheime und Einrichtungen für Menschen mit Behinderungen.

Multidisziplinär zusammengesetzte Kommissionen der Volksanwaltschaft kontrollieren ohne konkreten Anlassfall und unabhängig von Beschwerden pro Jahr etwa 500 Einrichtungen, in den allermeisten Fällen unangekündigt. Grundlage dafür sind zwei Abkommen der Vereinten Nationen: das Fakultativprotokoll zum Übereinkommen der Vereinten Nationen gegen Folter und andere grausame, unmenschliche oder erniedrigende Behandlung oder Strafe (OPCAT) sowie die UN-Behindertenrechtskonvention.

Ziel der präventiven Menschenrechtskontrolle ist es, Rahmenbedingungen aufzuzeigen, die wahrscheinlich zu Menschenrechtsverletzungen beitragen. Institutionen werden unterstützt, den Fokus auf Vorkehrungen und Maßnahmen zu richten, die Eingriffe in die Menschenrechte vermeiden.