The Protector of Citizens, Zoran Pasalic, said that journalists in Serbia are still exposed to numerous pressures and various verbal and physical attacks, and announced that he would propose that misdemeanor sanctions be introduced for such acts, which would be executed immediately.

"I will insist on expanding the penal provisions for verbal and physical attacks and pressure on journalists, and I will propose misdemeanor sanctions that will be executed immediately because I noticed that inefficiency in executing punishments is the cause of new attacks, the number of which increased last year", Pasalic said.

On the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Pasalic stated that he demanded for those responsible for threats and attacks on journalists to be punished more severely, as well as for the cases of physical attacks on journalists and their property that have not yet been settled to be resolved.

"One of the ways to more effectively protect journalists is the formation of a unique platform for the protection of journalists from attacks and pressures, which was initiated by this institution. The platform will point out mistakes in the way of work and omissions that will give the Protector of Citizens the opportunity to initiate changes to current regulations", said Pasalic.

Pasalic stated that the technical development of the platform was completed and that part of the data was entered into it, and once again called on journalists' associations to submit to the Protector of Citizens systematized data on attacks and pressures on journalists so that the platform would be available to the public as soon as possible.

Today’s verdict against two members of the Belarusian human rights centre Vyasna - Leanid Sudalenka and Tatsiana Lasitsa – sentenced respectively to three and to two and a half years of imprisonment in a colony, is another illustration of the reprisals against human rights defenders taking place in Belarus since the presidential elections of August 2020, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović.

“The verdicts further aggravate a situation that had already reached alarming levels, with the recent liquidation of the remaining registered human rights NGOs, including the oldest and most prominent ones, such as the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Legal Initiative, the Belarusian PEN Center and the Belarusian Association of Journalists - BAJ, indicating that the authorities are deliberately and systematically dismantling civil society in the country.

According to various independent sources, more than 270 NGOs have been dissolved or are in the process of liquidation by the Belarusian authorities - dozens of which by virtue of administrative decisions. Hundreds of human rights defenders, lawyers, activists, bloggers and journalists continue to face increased harassment in various forms, including smear campaigns, interrogations, restriction of movement, searches, administrative fines, arrests and detention, sometimes in inhuman conditions. Several dozens of media actors and human rights defenders, including long-standing partners of the Council of Europe, my office, and other international organisations, such as Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich, Marfa Rabkova, and many others have been arrested and detained under charges that defy credibility, for exercising their professional duties.

Even though Belarus is not a Council of Europe member state, it has international obligations to uphold human rights and the rule of law. It has also co-operated with various Council of Europe institutions in many fields, including those concerning an enabling environment for civil society organisations and human rights defenders.

The reprisals against civil society must stop immediately. All people deprived of liberty for exercising their legitimate civil society work should be unconditionally released. Belarusian civil society, independent media actors and human rights defenders should be able to work in a safe and enabling environment as required by international human rights law by which Belarus is bound like any other state.

As I stated previously, the Belarusian authorities bear full responsibility for human rights violations, especially when committed systematically and on a large scale. Regrettably, impunity for human rights violations, including serious ones, has remained unaddressed to date, and the needs of thousands of victims have not been adequately addressed. Furthermore, the state’s hostile policy and actions against civil society further contribute to the climate of impunity in Belarus.

I reiterate my sympathy and support to all of the courageous Belarusian human rights defenders, journalists and activists and stand ready to engage to better protect our shared human rights values.

Im Rahmen einer Konferenz zum Thema „Flüchtlinge und Migration“ in Cartagena (Kolumbien), traf Volksanwalt Amon den kolumbianischen Staatspräsidenten Iván Duque. Der Volksanwalt nahm in seiner Funktion als Generalsekretär des International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) auf Einladung des kolumbianischen Ombudsmanns Carlos Camargo Assis an der Konferenz teil. Im Zuge seines Rede-Beitrages, stellte der Volksanwalt das IOI vor und konnte sich mit zahlreichen Vertretern aus betroffenen Staaten (u.A. Nepal) austauschen.

Three vulnerable people living in the UK were locked out of accessing the justice system to challenge deportation orders because of conflicting government procedures and lengthy delays. These are the findings of a Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) investigation published today.

A Law Centre charity that provides legal representation for people who have been treated unfairly by public bodies, complained to the Ombudsman after the Legal Aid Agency failed to provide legal aid to its clients in a fair and timely way.

In 2017, the Centre represented three EU citizens living in the UK who the Home Office had decided should be deported after they were found sleeping rough. The Law Centre argued that the Home Office policy behind these decisions was unlawful and was being used to systematically identify and deport EU citizens. It requested reviews of these decisions and applied to the Legal Aid Agency for funding so it could represent its clients. The Agency delayed responding to the funding applications, leaving the Centre and its clients in limbo.

The Centre had to self-fund the legal challenges against the deportation orders which was a huge financial risk for the charity. There was no guarantee it would be successful in securing the funding or winning the cases. The alternative was to turn its back on the vulnerable individuals in dire need of its help, who faced being deported – decisions that were later found to be unlawful.

The Centre eventually secured the funding and successfully appealed the Home Office decisions, but not before one of its clients was detained and another had their passport removed. One client was left waiting over three months to get funding. If the Law Centre had waited for the funds before starting legal action, it would likely have missed the deadline to challenge the deportation order.

To make matters worse, the Agency could only provide funding from the date it had decided to grant the aid. This meant that, although the individuals were entitled to it, the Agency would not backdate the funding to cover the full costs of their legal challenges. The charity couldn’t recoup costs to cover work carried out at the beginning of the legal process, leaving it out of pocket and in a weaker position to provide support to those in future need.

The Agency’s delays and initial decision to decline legal aid to two of the clients had a profound impact on these individuals’ lives and their ability to challenge the Home Office decisions.

Julie Bishop, Director of the Law Centres Network, said:

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