Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva approached the Director of the Migration Directorate Nikolai Nikolov and pleaded for two foreign nationals, from Iran and from Afghanistan, who had been residing in Bulgaria for many years and who were subjected to “a coercive administrative measure and placed at a special facility for temporary placement of foreigners” and are in danger of being taken back to their countries of origin.

18 January 2024

Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva approached the Director of the Migration Directorate Nikolai Nikolov and pleaded for two foreign nationals, from Iran and from Afghanistan, who had been residing in Bulgaria for many years and who were subjected to “a coercive administrative measure and placed at a special facility for temporary placement of foreigners” and are in danger of being taken back to their countries of origin.

In both cases, following appeals from the two foreigners’ lawyers, experts from the Directorate National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) and Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms with the Ombudsman Institution conducted an onsite inspection and came up with a recommendation to draw on Art. 44, para 5 of the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria Act (FRBA), viz., alternative measures of forced placement. As per this provision, where there are obstacles to a foreigner leaving Bulgaria immediately or to entering another country, and no actions for the removal thereof have been scheduled, the authority which issued the order imposing an administrative enforcement measure, or the Director of the Migration Directorate shall, by an order impose any of the precautionary measures as an alternative to the placement. An option, for example is, to make it forcing on the foreigner to report on a weekly basis at the territorial office of the Ministry of Interior exercising jurisdiction over his/her place of residence.

Both foreign nationals have lived in Bulgaria for more than ten years and have a residence: one of them holds a valid passport; the other one holds a valid rental agreement and a notarized declaration from a guarantor, a Bulgarian citizen providing the means of sustenance of the person during his stay in Bulgaria.

During the interview with the Iranian citizen, the NPM experts were informed that he is not willing to go back to Iran, that he does not hold any valid Iranian identity documents and that he is willing to stay in Bulgaria officially, for which he duly filed an application to the State Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministers. The inspecting team found that he fluently speaks Bulgarian, that he has knowledge of the Bulgarian customary practices, that he has many friends who are Bulgarian citizens and that he is fully integrated into the country.

“In connection with the above-stated and drawing on Art. 20, para 1, subpara 2 in relation to Art. 19 of the Ombudsman Act, I address to you a proposal to carry out an investigation on the case. I recommend that in line with your powers as per Art. 44, para 5 FRBA and if a reason is seen for the enforcement of more lenient measures, you issue an order that some of the precautionary measures be enforced upon the foreigner,” the Ombudsman wrote.

Regarding the man from Afghanistan, the Ombudsman added the fact that the situation in that country continues to be dangerous and uncertain, especially after the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

According to the information released for the general public on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the security situation in Afghanistan continues to be complicated and unpredictable while the risk index (five) remains the highest,” Prof. Diana Kovacheva wrote.

She stated firmly that in keeping with Art. 44а, para 5 FRBA no foreigner under a coercive administrative measure of return shall be returned to a country where the life and freedom thereof are jeopardized and the said foreigner is endangered by persecution, torture, or inhuman or degrading treatment.

Further, the Ombudsman pointed out that when the NPM experts spoke with the foreigner’s lawyer, they were informed that the person is about to submit an application to seek international protection and that new evidence would be attached to this application: medical certification of scars of torture to which the person has been subjected in Afghanistan.

La Oficina de Información y Atención Ciudadana (OIAC) del Defensor del Pueblo andaluz se desplaza a la comarca de la Vega del Guadalquivir este martes 30 de enero para atender las quejas y consultas que quieran hacerle llegar la ciudadanía. En concreto, esta Oficina atenderá a la ciudadanía en el centro de servicios sociales de Lora del Río de 09:30 a 14:00 y de 16:00 a 18:00 horas.

En este desplazamiento el equipo atenderá a los vecinos y vecinas de las localidades de Alcalá del Río, Alcolea del Río, Brenes, Bélmez, Burguillos, Cantillana, La Algaba, Lora del Río, Peñaflor, Tocina, Villanueva del Río y Minas y Villaverde del Río. El centro  de servicios sociales de Lora del Río está ubicado en la calle cardenal Cervantes, 13. El miércoles 31 se mantendrá una reunión con los trabajadores sociales de la comarca.

El objetivo de esta visita presencial es acercar los servicios de la Institución a la ciudadanía de esta comarca con el fin de garantizar sus derechos frente a la actuación de las administraciones públicas en vivienda, salud, educación, servicios sociales, medio ambiente, justicia o transporte público, así como en cuestiones relacionadas con los servicios de interés general, caso de reclamaciones de telefonía, entidades financieras y suministros de luz y agua.

Con el fin de prestar el mejor servicio a las personas o colectivos que se dirigen personalmente a la Oficina, se recomienda cita previa llamando al teléfono 954 21 21 21 o enviando un correo electrónico a citapreviadpa@defensor-and.es. También se puede concertar la cita a través de nuestras principales redes sociales: facebook o twitter.

Probleme beim Bürgergeld, wie zum Beispiel mit der Übernahme der Kosten für Miete oder Heizung, mit der Hilfe zum Lebensunterhalt, dem Wohngeld oder auch mit Leistungen der Krankenkassen oder Schwierigkeiten beim Kindergeld - die Bürgerbeauftragte für soziale Angelegenheiten des Landes Schleswig-Holstein, Samiah El Samadoni, hilft bei allen Fragen rund um das Sozialrecht. Darüber hinaus berät die Bürgerbeauftragte auch als Leiterin der Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Landes und als Ombudsperson in der Kinder- und Jugendhilfe im Rahmen dieser Sprechstunde. Zudem ist die Bürgerbeauftragte auch Beauftragte für die Landespolizei und damit Ansprechpartnerin für Beschwerden von Bürger*innen und Eingaben von Polizist*innen.

The Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia is on a two-day working visit to the Principality of Monaco. At the invitation of Marina Ceyssac, the High Commissioner for the Protection of Rights, Liberties and for Mediation, Ombudsman Peter Svetina, in his role of Vice-President of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen and the Director of the European section of the International Ombudsman Institute, is participating in Monte Carlo at the celebration marking the tenth anniversary of the Monaco institution for the protection of human rights carried out under the auspices of His Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco. In his conversation with Ombudsman Svetina and Commissioner Ceyssac, Prince Albert highlighted the longstanding friendly relations between the Republic of Slovenia and the Principality of Monaco. On this occasion, Peter Svetina invited his Monégasque colleague for an official visit to Slovenia.

“Even though ombudspersons across Europe do not all operate in the same geopolitical circumstances and do not face completely comparable challenges, we are still bound by the same values like an invisible glue: humanity, nobleness, compassion, heartiness, and selflessness. We are tied together by our care for the dignity of our fellow human beings who, due to different circumstances, have their rights trampled on,” emphasised Ombudsman Svetina in his celebratory address to the event participants. “When I think about our work, I cannot imagine how we could retain the trust of people turning to us with their problems, if we would not put ethics and morals on a pedestal. If we would not operate with a high degree of integrity and a sense for our fellow man. People who turn to us for help frequently lament that institutions are moving away from the individual who is often lost in papers, decisions, and orders. Passivity, lack of clarity, pressures, and influences on the decision-making processes, as well as the complicated normative framework, in which people are lost, sadly often solely online access which many do not have the necessarily skills for, lack of information, and frequently also of a clear vision justifiably reinforce dissatisfaction and uncertainty among people,” he said.

He touched upon the significance of the duty of disclosure, which is closely connected to the principle of good administration, which derives from Article 41 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. He underlined that this principle is generally implemented in national legal orders as the general administrative principle, yet on the national level it is seldom set down in constitutions or concretised in practice. An interesting fact is that in Slovenia this principle is especially protected by the Human Rights Ombudsman Act, which in Article 3 stipulates that in his work, the Ombudsman follows the provisions of the constitution and international legal acts on human rights and fundamental freedoms, and that in his interventions, he can refer also to the principles of equity and good administration. He added that for several years, the principle of good administration has unfortunately been among the most frequent violations that he as the Ombudsman has been finding in Slovenia. This is also why, as he stated, he believes in the importance of education and the empowerment of public servants to assume personal responsibility in their actions for the protection of people’s rights. “It is only through personal responsibility and by keeping in mind the person on whose destiny we are deciding that we can strengthen a society that is humanitarian, inclusive, and forgets nobody,” believes Peter Svetina.

This is also why he believes that it is extremely important that the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union elevates this right to the level of citizens’ rights. Such definition concretises the understanding of good administration, which is also relevant for the implementation of the Charter on the national level. Moreover, it can indirectly contribute to the understanding of this right in cases when national bodies are failing to implement the EU legislation.

“This is also one of the reasons why, in my engagement in the international space, I strive for as much raising awareness and education on this topic as possible, as well as on the tasks and competences of ombudsmen which are, in some countries more and in others less, comparable. This is also why events like today’s are immensely important. Just like the strengthening of the role of the national human rights institutions and the institutions of the Ombudsman is of the utmost importance – their financial independence and operation according to the so-called Paris and Venice Principles. For it is crucial that we have suitable mandate and competence for the consideration of complaints, investigation of human rights violations, and for the monitoring and recommending measures for improvement. Only through strong and independent institutions, we can ensure that no individual is left without the appropriate protection of their rights. Connected we are stronger and solely in cooperation can we ensure that the institutions we ombudspersons lead have the necessary tools to efficiently fulfil their mission,” highlighted the Slovenian Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina in his address in Monaco.

La adjunta primera del Defensor del Pueblo, Teresa Jiménez-Becerril, se ha reunido este lunes con la directora general de Seguridad Jurídica y Fe Pública del Ministerio de Justicia, María Ester Pérez.

Durante el encuentro analizaron, entre otros asuntos, las quejas relativas a la tramitación de expedientes de nacionalidad española que se recepcionan en  la institución Defensor del Pueblo.

La adjunta primera estuvo acompañada en la reunión de su directora del Gabinete, María José Pastor, y del director del Área de Seguridad y Justicia, Andrés Jiménez.