Informing residents about hazards arising from the living environment is a state responsibility and one of the measures of civil protection. Internationally, the goal has been set that every person must receive an early warning in the event of danger. In Estonia, the active development of rapid warning began in 2018, and the first stage of the system was completed at the end of 2022.

As of 19 January 2023, in cases of events that endanger people’s lives, health, or the security of the state, and during government-level exercises, it has been possible to send an alert to the mobile phones of those located in a defined danger area. The law refers to this as an area-based rapid warning. A year later, the law was amended to grant the right to send warnings also during extensive military exercises.

The area-based rapid warning is transmitted as a location-based SMS (in Estonia, the sender name is EE-ALARM). The area-based rapid warning via SMS is one of the channels for delivering alerts. For the location-based transmission of such SMS, it is necessary to process the location data of mobile devices situated in the designated danger zone. The article analyses the resulting interference with the rights of recipients and the permissibility of such processing in the case of different types of events.

Helen Ojamaa-Muru, Adviser to the Chancellor of Justice, together with two co-authors, published an article on this subject in the journal Juridica.

In Debrecen, Hungary, Czech Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček and his deputy Vít Alexander Schorm met with their counterparts from Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland for regular multilateral talks. This year's meeting was devoted mainly to the exchange of experiences with the protection of the rights of persons deprived of their liberty and the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. Through their activities, ombudspersons perform the tasks of a national preventive mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture, and most of them also perform the tasks of a monitoring body under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

„I greatly appreciate the opportunity to cooperate and engage in dialogue with my colleagues from the Visegrad Four countries. All four countries have a combined population of approximately 62.25 million, and their ombudsmen receive more than 40,000 complaints each year. At our joint meetings, we always discuss current and important issues that we encounter in our work in the field of human rights. All European institutions should operate on a similar principle of sharing experiences. I am convinced that meetings in this format have a long-term and irreplaceable benefit," said Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček about the summit.

The ombudsmen also shared their methods for conducting unannounced visits to facilities, whether for the purpose of preventive protection against inhuman or degrading treatment or as part of monitoring the rights of persons with disabilities. „Together, we discussed, for example, the methodology and strategy for conducting visits to remand prisons and care facilities. We focused in particular on interviews with inmates and facility staff, documentation, and follow-up procedures. We also visited a brand new prison in Csenger, Hungary, designed for male prisoners under maximum security, built on the model of the most secure facilities of its kind in the world. It will be interesting to see what criticisms, if any, the national preventive mechanism for ill-treatment will have about the conditions in this facility with the benefit of hindsight," said Deputy Ombudsman Vít Alexander Schorm.

List of ombudsperson of the Visegrad Group: 
Czech Republic: Stanislav Křeček 
Poland: Marcin Wiącek 
Hungary: Ákos Kozma 
Slovakia: Róbert Dobrovodský

What is the National Preventive Mechanism?  
Its purpose is to monitor the protection of the rights and dignity of persons deprived of their liberty in accordance with the obligations enshrined in the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT). In 2006, the Ombudsman's agenda was expanded for the first time to include oversight of restrictions on personal liberty. Since then, the Czech Ombudsman has been the national preventive mechanism, protecting persons deprived of their liberty from ill-treatment. The team supervising the restriction of personal liberty visits places where people are deprived of their liberty. For example, they visit children's homes, retirement homes, psychiatric hospitals, prisons, cells, and other facilities. 
 

Annual Report | National Mechanism for the Investigation of Arbitrary Incidents 2024

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, visited the Correctional Services Agency and its facilities in Paola, following an invitation from the Agency’s CEO, Mr Christopher Siegersma. The visit formed part of the Ombudsman’s follow-up on the recommendations made in his own-initiative investigation report, published on 31 January 2025.

During the visit, the Ombudsman was shown a number of ongoing improvements within the facility. These included upgrades to the Education Hub, the Female B Section, the kitchen, and the newly inaugurated Second Learning Hub. The new hub features modern classrooms and will offer educational and training opportunities for inmates in subjects such as English, Maltese, Mathematics, ICT, and digital skills.

Mr Siegersma also presented future projects and improvements planned for the facility, while acknowledging the challenges posed by high occupancy levels. He updated the Ombudsman on the gradual implementation of standard operating procedures, one of the key recommendations from the Ombudsman’s report, which are being rolled out across the Agency.

He explained that the Agency is embracing a person-centered approach, ensuring that all services and activities are designed around the needs, development, and well-being of the individual in prison. This approach places the person at the heart of every initiative, with the prison environment functioning as a hub of care, rehabilitation, and opportunity.

The Ombudsman thanked Mr Siegersma and the management team for the invitation and for their updates on the implementation of recommendations. He acknowledged the ongoing work to improve infrastructure and inmate conditions, and reiterated that inmates must be treated with dignity. He emphasised that meaningful reform requires not only infrastructural improvements but also a cultural shift in approaches to rehabilitation, which should be embedded throughout the system.

Mr Siegersma concluded by affirming the Agency’s commitment to continue improving facilities and fostering the cultural change necessary to support inmate rehabilitation.

2025 gab es bereits 40 versuchte und tatsächliche Suizidfälle in Österreichs Gefängnissen. Anlässlich des Welttages der Suizidprävention fordert Volksanwältin Gaby Schwarz einmal mehr eine zweite Einschätzung des Suizidrisikos nach Haftantritt.

„Seit Jahresbeginn gab es bereits 40 versuchte und tatsächliche Suizidfälle in Österreichs Gefängnissen. Zum Vergleich: Im Jahr 2022 gab es 47 Fälle im gesamten Jahr. Die Suizidrate in den Justizanstalten ist dramatisch. Erst gestern hat sich ein Gefangener suizidiert“, bedauert Volksanwältin Gaby Schwarz. „Ausschlaggebend sind oft die prekären Haftbedingungen. Nachträglich befragt geben viele Insassen, die sich selbst verletzt haben an, dass es ihnen geholfen hätte, wenn sie jemand zum Reden gehabt hätten. Hohe Belegzahlen und zu wenig Personal sind Alltag im Strafvollzug. Die Folge sind schlechte Versorgungsbedingungen, erschwerte Resozialisierung und steigende Suizidzahlen. Es muss rasch etwas passieren, um die Zustände für Insassen und Personal zu verbessern. Hier geht es um Menschenleben“, mahnt die Volksanwältin anlässlich des heutigen Welttages der Suizidprävention.

„Seit Jahren fordere ich eine Verbesserung der Suizidprävention von Strafgefangenen. Dazu gehört eine zweite Einschätzung zum Suizidrisiko nach den ersten acht bis zwölf Wochen in Haft“, verweist Gaby Schwarz auf 48 Empfehlungen einer Expertengruppe im Auftrag des Justizministeriums von 2023, an der die Volksanwaltschaft teilgenommen hat. „Es liegen genug Verbesserungsvorschläge auf dem Tisch. Passiert ist bis dato nichts. Im Gegenteil. Die versuchten und tatsächlichen Suizidfälle haben sich seit 2019 fast verfünffacht. Während es 2019 insgesamt 13 Fälle gab, waren es im Vorjahr 60 Fälle. Diese Zahlen sollten uns alle alarmieren“, so Volksanwältin Gaby Schwarz.

Volksanwältin Gaby Schwarz: "Die Suizidrate in Österreichs Gefängnissen ist dramatisch. Es muss rasch etwas passieren. Hier geht es um Menschenleben." (Foto: Volksanwaltschaft/Elias Pargan)