On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is commemorated on 25 November, the Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina emphasises that any violence against women and girls is unacceptable and constitutes a serious violation of human rights. It is necessary to be aware that the perpetrator of violence is always responsible for the violence, regardless of what the victim said, did or did not do. "Violence is not a personal problem of an individual and is not a matter of private or family relations, but is an inadmissible and criminal act that we must not just silently observe. This is why I urge anyone who detects or notices violent behaviour in their environment to respond to it and report it. The occurrence of violence depends on how society reacts to it. If such behaviour is condemned and punished, it is reduce and stopped this way. And if it is tolerated, minimised or overlooked, the perpetrators are being given extra power," notes Ombudsman Peter Svetina.

Support for victims in proceedings is also very important for preventing and addressing violence. There is a need to promote a social environment in which victims will dare to talk about their troubles and will be heard and supported by competent institutions. "In principle, Slovenia has very well-regulated legislation on the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence. However, legislation alone is not enough, and it is important to continuously train employees who face violence. It can be observed from the processed initiatives that not all people receive the same quality of service from institutions in all cases of reported violence. For several years we have also been noticing inconsistency in various bodies regarding the implementation of measures for protecting victims and also in our work with perpetrators of violence. Employees of the police, judiciary and social work centres must work as a well-tuned orchestra so that proceedings can be speeded up and perpetrators punished for their acts," the Ombudsman notes.

The Ombudsman also welcomes the recently drafted first report of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO), which assesses the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Slovenia. "It is an important human rights protection mechanism that sheds light on the situation in our country and reminds us where further improvements are needed and how we still need to take action to adequately protect women from violence. I call on the competent authorities to adopt a strategy that addresses all forms of violence against women, and to examine all GREVIO recommendations and take measures to implement them as soon as possible," the Human Rights Ombudsman added on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

To mark its 50^th Anniversary, the State Comptroller and Ombudsman of Israel, under the auspices of the IOI and the AOM, invite you to participate in an international online conference on the theme: Advancing the Rights of Older People in an Age of Longevity.

The international online conference will discuss the unique challenges facing ombuds institutions across the globe pertaining to upholding and advancing the rights of older people.

The conference will be conducted in English, with simultaneous interpretation into French, Spanish and Arabic.

Click here to register for the conference.

We look forward to your joining us for this special event, in celebration of the Israel Ombudsman's Jubilee year.

he arrest and detention of a large group of Crimean Tatars, including several journalists, who assembled peacefully in Simferopol last Tuesday to witness the release from detention of human rights lawyer Edem Semedlyaev, is the latest link in a chain of reprisals and harassment directed at members of this community. It reinforces the pattern of persecution targeting Crimean Tatar human rights defenders, activists, leaders, and journalists, as well as many ordinary members of this group, described to me through numerous and consistent testimonies by members of the Crimean Tatar community and reputable human rights organisations.

In addition to arbitrary arrests and detentions, this clearly discernible pattern is exemplified by abusive raids on their homes and mosques; criminal proceedings devoid of fair trial guarantees; and extremely severe sentences, including long prison terms, imposed in recent years on Crimean Tatar activists like Osman Arifmetetov, Edem Bekirov, Aider Dzhapparov, Timur Ibragimov, Rustem Ismailov, Suleyman Kadyrov, Emir-Usein Kuku, Server Mustafaev, Enver Omerov, Riza Omerov, Erfan Osmanov, Seyran Saliev, Ruslan Suleymanov, and dozens of others. Many of those detained or imprisoned on the basis of abusive counterterrorism or extremism charges continue to be held in maximum security prisons or distant penal colonies, often located outside Crimea; many are reportedly subjected to ill-treatment and deprived of adequate access to their families and defence counsels. Some of them, like Servet Gaziev, Gafar Dzhemilev or Murat Zekharia, suffered particular hardship resulting from inadequate access to proper healthcare despite their advanced age or poor health.

This alarming trend is further demonstrated by the criminal convictions imposed on Crimean Tatar leaders, like Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis, convicted and sentenced in absentia in June this year; or Deputy Chairmen of the Mejlis, Ahmet Chiygoz and Ilmi Umerov, convicted and sentenced in September 2017 and later expelled from the peninsula. Another Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis, Nariman Dzhelyal, was arrested and detained in early September, while former Mejlis Chairman Mustafa Dzhemilev is also currently facing a criminal trial in absentia, in addition to a ban on entering Crimea until 2034, when he will be over 90 years old.

Those who, like Edem Semedlyaev and his fellow human rights lawyers, courageously defend the rights of Crimean Tatars, have been subjected to reprisals, including arbitrary arrest and detention, administrative and judicial harassment, searches, surveillance, and threats. In addition, all but a handful of independent Crimean Tatar media outlets were forced to cease their activities in Crimea while those who stayed on continue to experience censorship and pressure.

As I persevere in my efforts to obtain access to Crimea to carry out independent and impartial monitoring as required by my mandate, I call for the rights of Crimean Tatars to be respected. The persecution of Crimean Tatars must stop. Those in charge of law and order should respect and protect every Crimean Tatar’s rights and freedoms under the European Convention on Human Rights, including freedom from torture or inhuman or degrading treatment; the right to liberty and security; the right to a fair trial; freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; and freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.

In particular, an immediate end must be put to arbitrary arrests, searches, detention and criminal prosecutions based on the misuse of counterterrorism, extremism or other spurious charges. All those who have been convicted or detained on the basis of such abusive legal proceedings should be exonerated and released immediately. Legal counsels defending Crimean Tatars must be allowed to work free from intimidation or hindrance, and Crimean Tatar media outlets, journalists, activists, and bloggers should be allowed to carry out their activities without restrictions or harassment.

Terrorismus stellt eine ernsthafte Bedrohung für das Leben und die Sicherheit der Bevölkerung dar und gefährdet die staatliche Sicherheit. Gleichzeitig können Gesetze und politische Maßnahmen zur Terrorismusbekämpfung direkt oder indirekt schwerwiegende Einschränkungen der Grundrechte und -freiheiten mit sich bringen, wie ein neuer Bericht der Agentur der Europäischen Union für Grundrechte (FRA) zeigt. Der Bericht beruht auf Facherkenntissen und enthält Vorschläge, wie die Terrorismusbekämpfung durch größere rechtliche Klarheit, praktische Leitlinien und stärkere Sicherheitsvorkehrungen verbessert werden könnte.

„Bei Terroranschlägen ist die zerstörerische Wirkung sofort sichtbar. Doch die Angst und das damit verbundene Misstrauen haben tiefgreifende langfristige Auswirkungen auf die Gesellschaft. Selbstverständlich müssen die Menschen vor solchen Anschlägen geschützt werden,” so der Direktor der FRA, Michael O’Flaherty. „Dabei müssen wir jedoch die Auswirkungen der Maßnahmen zur Terrorismusbekämpfung sorgfältig prüfen. Dieser Bericht soll die politischen Entscheidungsträger der EU und in den Mitgliedstaaten dabei unterstützen, die Rechtmäßigkeit solcher Maßnahmen sicherzustellen.“

rDer Bericht untersucht das wichtigste strafrechtliche Instrument der EU im Bereich der Terrorismusbekämpfung (Richtlinie (EU) 2017/541). Er befasst sich mit den Auswirkungen der Richtlinie auf die Grundrechte und Grundfreiheiten. Er bietet zudem Einblicke in die Erfahrungen, die Fachleute aus der Praxis und andere Sachverständige mit fundierten Kenntnissen in diesem Bereich bei der praktischen Anwendung der Bestimmungen der Richtlinie gemacht haben.

Die Richtlinie soll den Ländern helfen, die Bedrohung durch den Terrorismus einzudämmen. Aber Gesetze, Strategien und Maßnahmen zur Terrorismusbekämpfung wirken sich häufig auf die Grundrechte aus und betreffen Einzelpersonen, Gruppen und die Gesellschaft insgesamt.

So erklärte ein Richter gegenüber der FRA: „Wenn ich immer abwarte, bis etwas passiert, sagen die Leute, dass die Justiz nicht funktioniert und andere Grundrechte nicht schützt. Wenn ich früh eingreife, werde ich kritisch gefragt: ‚Leben wir noch in einem demokratischen Land?‘ Es ist unheimlich schwierig, das richtige Gleichgewicht zu finden.“

Der Bericht enthält faktengestützte Ratschläge, um Politikschaffende in der gesamten EU dazu zu bewegen, die Richtlinie unter uneingeschränkter Achtung der Grundrechte anzuwenden:

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