Publication of the Annual Report 2021

El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, ha verificado que la actuación del Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI) se ha realizado conforme a la Constitución y la Ley en los casos examinados, en el denominado caso spyware Pegasus.
Los documentos clasificados a los que ha tenido acceso el Defensor del Pueblo y su equipo responden a lo que era preciso conocer sobre este asunto y, particularmente, a cotejar el cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en el artículo 12 de la Ley 11/2002, de 6 de mayo, reguladora del CNI, sobre el control judicial previo de las intervenciones de las comunicaciones.

Conclusiones
Tras las actuaciones señaladas, y examinada la documentación pertinente, el Defensor del Pueblo concluye que:

1. El CNI ha actuado con respeto a las diferentes disposiciones legales relativas al control judicial previo de las intervenciones de las comunicaciones que se han producido sobre una parte (18) de las personas aludidas en diferentes informaciones publicadas el pasado mes de abril.

2. El Defensor del Pueblo, tras el examen, durante el tiempo que estimó necesario, de los autos del magistrado del Tribunal Supremo encargado de la autorización judicial previa, ha constatado:
    a.  Que los autos estaban extensamente motivados
    b.  El elevado grado de detalle de la información de la que disponía el magistrado del Tribunal Supremo para adoptar la decisión
    c.  La existencia de un protocolo que articula la relación del CNI con el magistrado del Tribunal Supremo quien decide, tras recibir información precisa sobre los hechos que justifican la petición

3. Que existe normativa interna en el CNI que requiere unos procedimientos o medios especiales para la obtención de información, y que contempla los supuestos de necesidad de autorización judicial.

4. Que existe normativa interna en el CNI para el análisis-evaluación del funcionamiento del procedimiento que conduce a las autorizaciones judiciales previstas establecidas en la Constitución y la Ley.

5. Que conforme a la normativa citada se ha elaborado un informe -al que ha tenido acceso el Defensor del Pueblo- sobre los hechos referidos en esta actuación de oficio. Las intervenciones se han producido en todos los casos tras la autorización judicial.

Consideraciones
El Defensor destaca el ejercicio de transparencia del CNI en esta actuación y hace algunas consideraciones para que sean tenidas en cuenta. Entre otras, abrir una reflexión sobre el control judicial. Los 20 años transcurridos desde la Ley 11/2002, del 6 de mayo, y la evolución de las tecnologías en las últimas décadas, sumado a los cambios que están por venir, debe conducir a meditar sobre la suficiencia o insuficiencia del control judicial existente. No es lo mismo la interceptación de las comunicaciones en 2022 que en 2002, ni significará lo mismo en unos pocos años.

Consulta el escrito completo aquí

Tras su entrega a las Cortes de Aragón, se ha realizado una presentación del mismo, que recoge tanto la actividad de la Institución como  un análisis integral de los niños, niñas y adolescentes aragoneses.   Zaragoza 18/5/2022 Esta mañana ha sido presentado el Informe Anual sobre Infancia y Adolescencia en Aragón, tras su entrega por el Lugarteniente del Justicia, Javier Hernández y el Asesor de Menores y Mayores de la Institución, Andrés Esteban, al Presidente de las Cortes de Aragón, Javier Sada. Dicho Informe, denominado hasta ahora como Informe Anual de Menores, ya pasó de ser un apéndice del Informe Anual de Actividad a tener su propia entidad y, en este 2021, se convierte en Informe sobre la Infancia y Adolescencia en Aragón. Su nueva denominación viene determinada porque este documento ha ido añadiendo desde 2018 nuevos elementos; de tal forma que ha pasado de ser una memoria de las actividades realizadas en la materia por la Institución (visitas a centros, expedientes gestionados exclusivamente en la materia…) a un análisis integral de nuestra infancia y adolescencia aragonesas. Aborda el contexto cuantitativo de los menores en Aragón; especialmente los demográficos y específicos de vulnerabilidad,  las actuaciones del sistema de protección de menores del Gobierno, y los expedientes tramitados por el resto de áreas de la Institución que afectan a este colectivo: educación, sanidad, vivienda e igualdad,  poniendo con todo ello de manifiesto que la problemática de la infancia y adolescencia aragonesa tiene un carácter transversal y que por tanto requiere medidas concretas pero con una visión de conjunto y global. Los datos del Informe nos hablan de cuestiones y tendencias preocupantes, no ya como futuro sino como realidad, y los derechos y la voz de la Infancia reclama actuaciones concretas y estratégicas. 

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“On the occasion of this year’s International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, I call on all member states to pay attention to the situation of LGBTI people who are either still in Ukraine or are fleeing the war, so that their vulnerability and needs are fully taken into account in the human rights and humanitarian response”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović.

Alongside their fellow compatriots, Ukrainian LGBTI people are suffering the consequences of this horrific war. Some have taken up arms, some have become internally displaced, some are active in responding to the humanitarian crisis, and others still decided to leave to seek refuge in other countries. But as stressed in a statement published yesterday by the United Nations Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and other human rights experts, in times of war and displacement LGBTI people are even more vulnerable than in peacetime.

LGBTI human rights defenders have drawn my attention to the specific vulnerability of LGBTI people caught in the war in Ukraine. Dedicated shelters have been set up by local LGBTI NGOs for internally displaced LGBTI people to help protect them from discrimination, prejudice and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity, which pre-existed the war. They should have access to adequate resources. An immediate concern relates to the shortages in medication required by some LGBTI people in Ukraine, including hormones for trans people, medication for intersex people and antiretroviral medication.  In the course of my recent visit to Ukraine, I was also informed that some transgender persons are experiencing difficulties in leaving the country. For example, this is the case for several transgender women who are blocked in Ukraine because they have not completed the legal gender recognition process and consequently the gender markers in their identity documents remain male at a time when all men between 18 and 60 are required by martial law to stay in Ukraine. More generally, the authorities both in Ukraine and bordering countries should pay attention to the specific vulnerability of transgender people who need to leave the country so that they can do so safely.

I am also concerned about LGBTI people in territories where combat is taking place, that are occupied, or otherwise not controlled by the government in Ukraine. I have previously received information that hate against LGBTI people is particularly widespread and encouraged there.

According to the information collected by my Office on recent monitoring missions to countries neighbouring Ukraine, it is mainly local and international LGBTI NGOs in those countries that have stepped up to address the specific needs of LGBTI people arriving from Ukraine. They help ensuring safe accommodation by matching refugees with LGBTI-friendly hosts, provide information about legal status and access to health care, facilitate psychosocial support at community centres, as well as onward transportation for those who need it. LGBTI Ukrainian refugees are confronted with several challenges. This includes a lack of access to specific healthcare for transgender and intersex people in countries where such medication is already in short supply or access is subject to burdensome requirements. Gaps in treatment can have very dire consequences. Same-sex partners fleeing Ukraine also face difficulties related to the fact that their status as couples or families is not recognised, either in Ukraine or in some of the neighbouring countries. Problems are already arising for non-Ukrainian partners in securing family reunification or access to temporary protection. Access to accommodation and employment will also require attention, especially given the negative climate and policies toward LGBTI people in a number of countries where Ukrainian people are seeking safety.

I also call on member states to take into consideration the situation of LGBTI people from Russia, Belarus and other countries who had sought refuge in Ukraine and who may not be able to safely return to their countries of origin. More LGBTI people may be seeking to leave Russia in the coming weeks, given the worsening of their human rights situation there. As I stressed in a human rights comment on LGBTI asylum-seekers in Europe, it is imperative that member states recognise in their national laws that the fear of persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics is a valid ground for the granting of refugee status in line with the 1951 Refugee Convention. They should also recognise that specific forms of treatment or discrimination often faced by LGBTI persons can amount to persecution, and firmly reject the idea that they can be expected to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity to escape human rights violations. Finally, urgent steps must be taken to address stereotyping and a ’culture of disbelief’ in asylum procedures, to enhance early identification of vulnerabilities, and to protect LGBTI persons from violence, harassment, isolation and discrimination in reception facilities.

I salute the extraordinary mobilisation of LGBTI activists and NGOs, both in Ukraine and in other European countries, in support of LGBTI people affected by the war in Ukraine. I urge all humanitarian actors to ensure that LGBTI people in Ukraine are not left behind when distributing basic humanitarian and medical assistance. I also welcome the extraordinary solidarity shown by many European countries welcoming Ukrainian refugees and I encourage them to identify the specific needs of LGBTI people arriving on their territories and to ensure that the legal framework and actual delivery of humanitarian assistance address such needs.

Link: https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2022-05/cp220085en.pdf

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Court of Justice of the European Union

PRESS RELEASE No 85/22

Luxembourg, 17 May 2022

Judgments in Case C-600/19 Ibercaja banco, in Joined Cases C-693/19 SPV Project 1503, C-831/19 Banco di Desio e della Brianza and Others, and in Cases C-725/19 Impuls Leasing România and C-869/19 Unicaja Banco

Unfair terms in consumer contracts: national procedural principles cannot impede the rights that individuals derive from EU law

The principle of effectiveness requires an effective review of the potentially unfair nature of the terms

By today’s judgments, the Court, sitting as the Grand Chamber, rules on several requests for a preliminary ruling brought by the Spanish, Italian and Romanian courts, concerning the interpretation of Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts. 1

The Court is asked to rule on whether national procedural principles, such as res judicata, may limit the powers of the national courts, in particular those dealing with enforcement, in order to assess whether contractual terms are unfair. Are principles of national procedural law which do not allow that assessment at the enforcement stage, including by the enforcing court of its own motion, because of the existence of prior national judicial decisions, compatible with Directive 93/13?

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