“I am following with concern recent developments in Georgia, which represent a significant escalation in the pressure being applied to civil society” said Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.

Two weeks ago, at least eight non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the field of human rights and democracy – many of them longstanding partners of the Council of Europe and the Commissioner – received court orders, issued by the Tbilisi City Court. These orders compel them to provide a wide range of information, including sensitive personal data, to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), as part of an inquiry into possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (GEOFARA), the Law on Grants and other legislation. Specifically, the court orders require the NGOs to hand over grant agreements, financial and activity records, and personal data of beneficiaries, covering the period from 1 January 2024 to 10 June 2025. Reportedly, the requested information is to be submitted within three working days under threat of criminal liability. Following an appeal by the NGOs in question, the Tbilisi Court of Appeals has upheld the court orders without holding a hearing.

“The actions of the Georgian authorities raise a range of serious human rights concerns,” said the Commissioner. “The scope and urgency of these requests are troubling. Requiring organisations to hand over vast amounts of internal documentation, including personal data (names, addresses, ID numbers), puts pressure not only on the organisations, some of which are service providers, but also on their beneficiaries and close partners. It raises compatibility issues with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protects the right to respect for private life, including data protection. Any interference with this right must be clearly justified, necessary, proportionate and non-discriminatory.”

The court orders, and the ACB requests on which they are based, follow the recent entry into force of GEOFARA and amendments to the Law on Grants. These laws require organisations acting on behalf of a foreign principal to register as ‘agents of a foreign principal,’ prohibit NGOs from receiving foreign grants without official approval, and give the ACB broad inspection powers. “When placed within the broader context of attacks and smear campaigns against NGOs and human rights defenders, as noted in the memorandum following my visit to Georgia, the use of these laws further stigmatises and silences human rights defenders and civil society,” the Commissioner stated. “As set out in Article 11 of the ECHR, restrictions on freedom of association must be necessary in a democratic society and proportionate to their legitimate aim. The inability of NGOs to secure a remedy from Georgian courts against the actions of the ACB also raises concerns under Article 13 of the ECHR,” he added.

“Civil society is a cornerstone of any democratic society,” the Commissioner said. “I urge the Georgian authorities to respect their obligations under the ECHR and other human rights instruments, to guarantee the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association, and to put an end to all forms of harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders and civil society actors.”

El Defensor del Pueblo ha iniciado 30 actuaciones de oficio con el Ministerio de Vivienda y Agenda Urbana, todas las comunidades autónomas, las dos ciudades autónomas y con los diez ayuntamientos más poblados de España con el objetivo de conocer las políticas públicas que están llevando a cabo para garantizar a la ciudadanía el acceso a una vivienda digna y adecuada.

La institución ha solicitado -al Ministerio de Vivienda y Agenda Urbana, comunidades autónomas, Ceuta y Melilla y a los ayuntamientos de Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Málaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante y Las Palmas de Gran Canaria-, información sobre las medidas y/o planes que hayan adoptado, o tengan previsto adoptar, para hacer efectivo el derecho de acceso a la vivienda protegida y asequible incentivada, así como para incrementar el parque público de vivienda.

Asimismo, se les ha requerido información concreta sobre el número de viviendas protegidas y asequibles incentivadas que existen en su territorio; el número de personas en espera de adjudicación de una vivienda sujeta a un régimen de protección pública o asequible incentivada; las medidas dirigidas a incrementar el parque de vivienda sujeta a algún régimen de protección pública y de vivienda asequible incentivada; si existen áreas de mercado residencial tensionado y si se van a aplicar las medidas previstas al respecto en la Ley por el Derecho a la Vivienda; las  medidas previstas para regular y en su caso limitar las viviendas destinadas a alquiler turístico, y las medidas dirigidas a ayudar al pago de los alquileres.

El Defensor del Pueblo ha preguntado también al Ministerio de Vivienda y Agenda Urbana sobre el contenido del próximo plan estatal en materia de vivienda; los avances relativos a la constitución de la empresa pública de vivienda anunciada, y el grado de ejecución de los planes y programas de construcción de vivienda anunciados; así como sobre cualesquiera otros instrumentos que haya puesto en marcha o vaya a adoptar con el fin de hacer efectivo el derecho de acceso a la vivienda protegida y asequible incentivada.

El acceso a una vivienda en condiciones asequibles constituye, además de una necesidad básica de las personas, un derecho reconocido en el artículo 47 de la Constitución que los poderes públicos deben hacer realidad, promoviendo las condiciones necesarias y estableciendo las normas pertinentes para hacerlo efectivo.

Las dificultades para acceder a la vivienda llevan tiempo siendo objeto de especial consideración para el Defensor del Pueblo, y así lo ha ido reflejando en sus últimos informes anuales. “El acceso a la vivienda en España es un problema grave debido a los altos precios. Se observan retrasos considerables en la gestión de ayudas, como el bono de alquiler joven, y largas esperas en la adjudicación de vivienda de protección pública. Parece preciso aumentar significativamente la oferta de vivienda, especialmente las de carácter protegido, que deben sujetarse a un régimen de protección permanente, y gestionar las ayudas al alquiler de manera ágil”.

Se necesitan más viviendas protegidas

Se da la circunstancia de que España destaca negativamente en el entorno europeo por su escaso parque de vivienda social, que solo representaba el 3,3% respecto del conjunto de los hogares o viviendas principales, según los datos de 2024 del Observatorio de Vivienda y Suelo, elaborados a partir de la Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida del Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE). En Países Bajos representa el 30% y en Francia 17%. La media europea es del 10%.

La situación de dificultad de acceso a la vivienda se reproduce en prácticamente todas las comunidades autónomas y ciudades medias y grandes, pero es más intensa en aquellos territorios con más población y receptora de más turismo, y afecta en especial a los jóvenes y a las personas con menos ingresos, aunque también a los trabajadores desplazados, y a las personas y unidades familiares con ingresos medios. Esto ahonda en la desigualdad entre los ciudadanos y condiciona su bienestar, su desarrollo personal y el disfrute del resto de los derechos, a juicio de la institución.

A domestic abuse survivor was street homeless for five weeks, despite asking London Borough of Waltham Forest for help, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

The man asked the council for help in late January and said he could no longer live with relatives who were abusing him. The council did not act, and the man again contacted the council in February, mentioning the domestic abuse.

The council did nothing to help the man until the middle of March, after the man’s representative threatened the council with legal action. It then offered the man hotel accommodation but did not act when the man said his abuser knew where he was staying, causing him distress.

The man also asked the council for help storing his belongings while he was homeless. But the council said it would not do this unless he paid them an upfront fee of £500 – money which he did not have. The man lost his possessions because he could not afford to pay.

During the period the man was in hotel accommodation, the council failed to confirm a hotel booking, meaning the man was again street homeless for three nights, during which time he said he was assaulted.

The Ombudsman’s investigation into the man’s complaint found the council failed to consider the man’s circumstances when he first approached it as homeless, and also failed to consider whether he was vulnerable as a result of the domestic abuse he suffered when he contacted it in February.  

The investigation also found the council could show no evidence of how it assessed the man’s hotel accommodation as suitable, and also criticised the council for the three-month delay in accepting it owed him the main housing duty.

Ms Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“Waltham Forest council let this man down when he approached it for help. A meeting was arranged when he first contacted the council, but no officer called. He told me he had to make repeated requests for assistance before the council took action and it was not until the council was threatened with legal action that it did anything practical to help.

“This should not have happened, and I am pleased the council has acknowledged the gravity of its errors and accepted the recommendations I have made. I hope other survivors of domestic abuse will be treated better in future.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the man and pay him £1,600 to acknowledge his distress and time he spent street homeless, its failure to consider the risk posed by the man’s abuser and the delay accepting the main housing duty.

It will also consider the man’s request for a review of its decision to place him in band 3 on its housing register.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council will remind officers of the low threshold for triggering its duty to offer interim accommodation to people at risk of homelessness and who may be vulnerable. It has agreed to create an action plan to reduce its delays in considering the main housing duty to people in its area. It will also review its policy on how it protects the property of homeless people to ensure it complies with the law.

Heute wurde das neue Kollegium der Volksanwaltschaft von Bundespräsident Alexander Van der Bellen in der Hofburg angelobt. Es besteht aus Christoph Luisser, Gaby Schwarz und Bernhard Achitz. Luisser wird auch für die nächsten zwölf Monate den Vorsitz übernehmen.

Landtag von Baden-Württemberg

17. Wahlperiode

Drucksache 17 / 8955

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