The Constitutional Court of Hungary annulled the provision of the Act on Legal Aid which excluded that persons in precarious social situation submitting a constitutional complaint receive legal advice and legal representation financed from state budget.

The International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) recently published its fifth newsletter in 2012. The last edition of the year covers the State Conference where inter alia a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the IOI.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the Iowa Citizens’ Aide/Ombudsman may conduct a sworn interview of a former Department of Corrections (DOC) administrative law judge (ALJ) who ordered an assaultive prisoner to forfeit twice as much earned time as DOC policy allowed.

On December 11, Howard Sapers, Correctional Investigator of Canada, presented the 2012 Ed McIsaac Human Rights in Corrections Award to Jean-Claude Bernheim, a lecturer at Laval University.

A new report by the Parliamentary Ombudsman reveals how people are struggling to get government departments and public organisations to put right basic mistakes, causing distress, inconvenience, and, in some cases, financial hardship.

Ombudsman of Ontario, Andre Marin called for the Province of Ontario to give his office the authority to oversee institutions in the so-called MUSH sectors. They include municipalities, universities, school boards, hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, police services and children's aid societies.

Mediation and alternative dispute settlement are, without doubt, useful, effective and child-friendly methods in both child protection and criminal justice. This method is scarcely used in Hungary since its application is hindered by the absence of training of childcare specialists and legal problems, stated Ombudsman Máté Szabó.

The Deputy head of department for observance of the rights of child, non-discrimination and gender equality Mr. Sergiy Ponomariov took part in the V session of the Forum for minorities, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.