Austria | Cooperation between Austrian and Azerbaijani Ombudsman contributes to solution in tragic case

The case of a young Austrian athlete who was severly injured in the Olympic village in Baku during the First European Games in 2015 has finally been resolved in part due to the successful international cooperation between Austrian Ombudsman Dr. Günther Kräuter and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Azerbaijan Prof. Elmira Suleymanova. The continuing correspondence between the two Ombudsmen, as well as high-level meetings between representatives of both countries, made a breakthrough in the negotiations possible. Last week, the Austrian citizen finally received the compensation payment.

The young member of the Austrian team at the European Games was severly injured in an accident involving an official shuttle bus. She is now a paraplegic and dependent on a wheelchar. This tragic occurence then received wide media coverage and the representatives of the Azerbaijani Government promised the family high compensation payments. The negotiations about these payments, however, lasted more than two years.

In December 2017, the Austrian Ombudsman Günther Kräuter decided to intervene in the case and corresponded with his colleague in Azerbaijan, Prof. Elmira Suleymanova. The two discussed this topic in person at the annual GANHRI meeting in Geneva in February of this year. Ombudsman Kräuter addressed the case on the TV show of the Austrian Ombudsman Board as well, which resulted in further media interest and the involvement of Austrian politicians. The efforts of the Ombudsmen finally succeeded in the Austrian citizen receiving the compensation payment last week.