El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, ha recogido este sábado el Premio Chamorro Daza que concede el Ayuntamiento jienense de Huesa, que este año ha celebrado su sexta edición.

El galardón ha sido concedido “por ser el Defensor del Pueblo una institución que trabaja con transparencia y objetividad por la protección de los derechos y las libertades. Y por su constante implicación, de manera independiente, en ayudar a las personas y colectivos con conflictos con las administraciones públicas”

Estos premios reconocen la labor de instituciones, entidades y empresas, y rinden homenaje a Antonio Chamorro Daza, maestro, médico e investigador oncológico en el instituto Pasteur de París, nacido en Huesa en 1903.

Durante el acto de entrega, celebrado en la Casa de la Cultura de Huesa, Ángel Gabilondo ha agradecido el premio que recibe la institución Defensor del Pueblo y ha reivindicado la figura de Chamorro Daza, de quien ha asegurado es “un referente, ya que su vida estuvo marcada por fuerzas de cambio y de transformación”.

El Defensor ha recordado que Chamorro Daza, que tuvo que buscar nuevas oportunidades fuera de su tierra, es un ejemplo del talento español exiliado tras la guerra civil. Su trayectoria, ha asegurado, “nos hace conscientes y solidarios con tantos ciudadanos que hoy en tantos lugares están viéndose asediados por conflictos bélicos”.

Asimismo, Ángel Gabilondo ha señalado al recoger el galardón estar “especialmente satisfecho porque estos premios están vinculados al compromiso social y público, a las libertades públicas y a los derechos humanos”.

Además del Defensor del Pueblo, han sido galardonados en esta edición la Policía Nacional, la empresa de servicios Clece -que promueve la inclusión sociolaboral de personas con diversidad física, psíquica o sensorial- y Alborasur -empresa andaluza especializada en plantas medicinales-.

From 23 to 25 April 2024, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty carried out a visit to Ukraine (Kyiv). This was his first visit to a member state since taking up his post on 1 April. With the current human rights landscape in Europe being dominated by Russia’s war against Ukraine, the visit was an opportunity for the Commissioner to gain a deeper understanding of the human rights situation.  Through dialogue with the authorities and other partners, he identified areas where he can help to advance the protection of human rights in the country.

Commissioner O’Flaherty paid particular attention to the human rights situation of Ukrainian children, including those transferred to Russia and Belarus, those residing in areas of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia, as well as those living in government-controlled territory. While stressing the importance of continuing efforts to ensure the return of the children transferred to Russia and Belarus, the Commissioner also underlined the need not to forget the children in the temporarily occupied territories. The Commissioner particularly welcomed the Ukrainian authorities’ high-level commitment to avoid the future institutionalisation of children. He also welcomed the attention given by the Ukrainian authorities to the development of a more child-friendly juvenile justice system and to increasing protection of victims and witnesses’ rights in the context of criminal process more generally.

The scale of continuing serious violations of human rights of the people living in territories of Ukraine under Russian occupation is of great concern to the Commissioner. He stressed that “we must never lose sight of the human rights of the people of Crimea, including the Crimean Tatars”, and expressed his appreciation for the work carried out by the Ukrainian authorities in developing a human rights-centred approach to the eventual de-occupation of the peninsula. He deplored the reported violations of the freedom of thought, conscience and religion in the temporarily occupied territories. The Commissioner’s attention was also drawn to reports of serious human rights abuses, including torture, committed against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians detained in the Russian Federation.

Recognising the immense challenges, scarce resources and difficult choices facing the Ukrainian authorities, Commissioner O’Flaherty noted the urgent need for increased investment in rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure destroyed by Russian attacks. “There are some things that cannot wait until the war is over. For instance, ensuring that every Ukrainian child can go to school, in dignity and safety, is one such immediate concern. The international community should urgently step up its efforts to help Ukraine make the full enjoyment of the right to education by every child in Ukraine a reality,” the Commissioner added.

The existence of a vibrant civil society in Ukraine, representing a diversity of ideas and unique skills, was a source of inspiration for Commissioner O’Flaherty. “The expertise of Ukraine’s civil society is one of its most valuable resources. Civil society actors should be consulted by the Ukrainian authorities in all public decision-making processes relevant to human rights throughout Ukraine, including on laws and public policies that affect the human rights of people in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine”.

The Commissioner also welcomed the establishment of the Council of Europe’s Register of Damage for Ukraine. “The Register, which serves as a record of claims for compensation for the damage, loss, and injury caused by Russia’s aggression, is an essential element of any reparations and restorative justice efforts. Whatever design is agreed upon in the work towards the establishment of a future compensation mechanism, it is clear to me that one of the goals of this endeavour must be to provide redress to the very people victimised by the Russian aggression.”

“The existential threat facing Ukraine today is at the same time the supreme challenge for the entire values-based human rights system on our continent,” the Commissioner concluded. “As Ukraine rises to this challenge, I intend to play my part by offering my voice as well as the advice and expertise of my Office for the benefit of the victims of Russia’s aggression”.

During his visit, the Commissioner met with the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Iryna Vereshchuk; the Minister of Justice, Denis Malyuska; the Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Tamila Tasheva; the Advisor – Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Daria Herasymchuk; and the Prosecutor-General, Andriy Kostin. Before the visit, in Strasbourg, the Commissioner met with the Speaker of the Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. In Kyiv, he met online with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, and representatives of his office at the Child Rights Protection Centre. He had meetings with representatives of civil society and international organisations. In Bucha, he paid respect to the victims of Russia’s aggression, and in Gostomel he visited a school destroyed as a result of Russia’s attack in 2022.

La sociedad municipal Zaragoza Vivienda ha aceptado una sugerencia de la Justicia de Aragón sobre la subsanación de trámites en solicitudes telemáticas cuando, por razones ajenas al solicitante, no se puede concluir la solicitud en plazo La sugerencia tiene origen en la queja de un vecino de Zaragoza que no pudo concluir la tramitación telemática de una solicitud de ayudas para la rehabilitación de viviendas, a falta de la firma, y una vez que había subido todos los documentos solicitados y acreditado los requisitos para ser beneficiario de la ayuda, entre otros, una edad menor o igual a 40 años.

Según la queja, se daba la circunstancia de que el día en que se realizó el primer intento telemático fallido el solicitante tenía los requisitos exigidos en las bases, pero no así al siguiente, puesto que cumplía 41 años, razón por la cual su petición fue rechazada.... (...)

Suffolk County Council has not done enough to provide an education to a young girl with special educational needs, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

The Ombudsman’s investigation found the council failed to provide alternative education to the girl, who has autism, between March 2022 and September 2023 after she could no longer attend school.

The investigation found the mother had made numerous requests for the council to provide an educational package for her daughter that would allow her to study away from school, but adequate provision was still not put in place.

The council took 18 months to produce an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan for the girl, instead of taking the 20 weeks guidance and legislation says it should take.

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

“The mother here did all she could to get the council to do what they should. Even then, her daughter missed out on 18 months of education at a crucial time in her life because the council did not prioritise her needs.

“Despite the mother’s repeated contact with the council, no education was forthcoming and instead the council took far too long to produce a vital Education, Health and Care Plan for the girl which would identify the support that would be provided for her.

“We have made numerous recommendations to improve the council’s services for children with Special Educational Needs in recent years. The council is currently under the scrutiny and intervention of Ofsted and has identified improvements which it is already implementing, so we have not made any further recommendations beyond those to remedy the family’s situation.

“The issues at Suffolk have been recognised, both by the council itself and by Ofsted, and there is much local improvement to be carried out, However, the wider national systemic problems with special educational needs and disabilities provision cannot be ignored: as we have repeatedly highlighted there are significant problems across the country requiring national attention and policy change to ensure children are supported during the most crucial stage of their lives.

“Obviously any future investigations we carry out into the council’s education services will provide important evidence as to whether the council’s efforts to improve have been effective.”

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 family and pay them £8,000 for the delays in the EHC Plan process and failure to provide alternative education. It will also pay the mother a further £300 to acknowledge the distress and anxiety she felt when dealing with the council.

Article date: 25 April 2024

El actual sistema de bloques electorales hace que el electorado reciba más información sobre las fuerzas políticas mayoritarias

Defiende que en los debates electorales deberían poder participar todas las candidaturas válidamente constituidas
 

A raíz de las próximas elecciones al Parlamento de Catalunya, que tendrán lugar el 12 de mayo, el Síndic de Greuges ha emitido una nueva resolución en la que pide incluir otras fórmulas más flexibles que los bloques electorales.

El sistema de bloques electorales determina cómo se reparten los espacios informativos durante los períodos electorales, ordenándolos y delimitándolos en el tiempo en función de la representatividad obtenida por cada fuerza política en las elecciones precedentes.

De acuerdo con la normativa vigente, sin embargo, los órganos de dirección de los medios públicos pueden decidir sobre la programación informativa en este período, aplicando criterios profesionales y más flexibles que los bloques electorales, siempre que se garantice el pluralismo político y social, la igualdad, la proporcionalidad y la neutralidad informativa.

Ante este hecho, la síndica invita a las candidaturas que concurren a las elecciones del 12 mayo a rubricar un acuerdo para superar los bloques electorales y pide a la Corporación Catalana de Medios Audiovisuales (CCMA) ya los demás medios de comunicación catalanes de titularidad pública que adopten medidas más flexibles, diferentes o complementarias a los bloques electorales, con el fin de que la ciudadanía pueda recibir información de todas las candidaturas.

Por otra parte, la síndica pone de manifiesto que los debates electorales son una de las principales herramientas de información que utilizan los ciudadanos para poder tomar una decisión en relación con su voto. Por tanto, la institución considera que en estos debates deberían poder participar todas las fuerzas políticas: las que tienen representación parlamentaria, las que se consideran grupos políticos significativos y las que, pese a no cumplir con ninguno de estos dos requisitos, han sido válidamente constituidas. De acuerdo con ello, ha sugerido a la CCMA que todas las candidaturas puedan participar en al menos uno de los debates electorales televisados y radiofónicos que se ofrezcan durante el período electoral. En este contexto, la institución recuerda que la normativa vigente no excluye ese escenario.