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International Ombudsman Institute

Fri, 22 May 2020

Ombudsman News 21/2020

Fri, 22 May 2020

Ombudsman News 21/2020





IOI | Board of Directors holds first electronic meeting due to Covid-19

On 18 May 2020 the IOI Board of Directors held its annual meeting to identify and discuss projects and priorities for the upcoming membership year. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the Board held its annual meeting by electronic means for the first time and despite the challenge of a wide range of different time zones, 15 out of currently 20 Directors joined the videoconference hosted by the Office of IOI President and Ireland Ombudsman Peter Tyndall.



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World | COVID-19 not an excuse for unlawful deprivation of liberty – UN expert group on arbitrary detention

A group of independent UN experts today recalled that "the prohibition of arbitrary detention is absolute even during times of public emergencies" and urged governments worldwide to prevent arbitrary deprivation of liberty in the context of the measures currently adopted for controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus.



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PHSO Podcast

UK | IOI President talks on PHSO Radio Ombudsman podcast

In the 15th edition of the Radio Ombudsman podcast, IOI President Peter Tyndall talks to Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Rob Behrens about the value of the international ombudsman community.



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Argentina | Informe anual 2019 sobre casos de tortura y malos tratos

En este informe se presentan los resultados del análisis de la información registrada por la Procuración hasta fines de 2019 de casos de violencia física, amenazas y hostigamientos y de los casos en que la violencia física desencadena otras situaciones violentas como aislamientos prolongados o la escasa o nula alimentación durante el aislamiento.



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china

CHINA | Ombudsman Hong Kong probes government handling of misconnection of private building sewers to stormwater drains

The Ombudsman, Ms Winnie Chiu, declared a direct investigation today (21 May) to examine whether the Government has properly handled problems related to the misconnection of private building sewers to stormwater drains.



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FRANCE | Le Défenseur des droits s’inquiète des conditions de retour à l’école des enfants des personnels soignants

L’attention du Défenseur des droits et de son adjointe, la Défenseure des enfants, a été appelée par plusieurs parents d’élèves exerçant une profession médicale sur les conditions de la réouverture de certaines écoles maternelles et primaires.



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norway

Norway | Use of restraint beds in prisons poses significant risk of breaching the prohibition against inhumane treatment

The Parliamentary Ombudsman has studied the use of restraint beds in Norwegian prisons in more detail over the past six months and has criticised the use of restraint beds in prisons following several visits. This article looks at some of the most important findings and what they mean.



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AUSTRALIA | Complaints about nepotism in Victorian government schools “continue unabated”

Family members and associates of principals in Victorian government schools continue to be hired without principals properly declaring or managing their conflicts of interest, the Victorian Ombudsman has warned. Tabling her investigations into allegations of nepotism in government schools, Ombudsman Glass said she hoped her report would draw attention to the problem and its consequences.



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webinar

NEW ZEALAND | Office of the Ombudsman presents webinar on NPM in action during COVID-19

The impact of COVID-19 has drastically affected the way National Preventative Mechanisms monitor places of detention under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture.  The Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand is the designated National Preventative Mechanism for places of detention in New Zealand, and discusses the challenges of monitoring places of detention during the lockdown.



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THE NETHERLANDS | National Ombudsman calls for greater clarity

‘A call for clarity!’ This is the title of the third joint annual report published by the National Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Children and the Ombudsman for Veterans, and presented to parliament today by the National Ombudsman, Reinier van Zutphen.



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hungary

Slovenia | In just over a month, the Ombudsman has addressed more than 300 issues related to COVID-19

The Human Rights Ombudsman has been closely monitoring the coronavirus disease situation in Slovenian and abroad as well as the measures adopted by the state authorities to contain the epidemic and protect the most vulnerable groups of citizens. Many people have also contacted us via email and the toll-free number raising questions and issues.



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Albania | Ombudsman is concerned about police intervention during protests at the National Theatre

The Ombudsman’s Office seizes the opportunity to repeatedly call for respect for the principle of proportionality in the interventions of the police and other law enforcement agencies, which in no case and in no way should use the pretext of Covid-19 restrictions (which, moreover, are not respected by themselves), as a reason for the suppression of civil law for peaceful assembly.



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Canada | BC Ombudsperson releases first report under Public Interest Disclosure Act

Since BC’s new whistleblowing protection law came into effect in December 2019, current and former provincial government employees have been coming to the Ombudsperson with enquiries, seeking advice, or making disclosures, according to the office’s first public interest disclosure annual report.



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