Search Results for: ombudsman

After a contentious debate Thursday, the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish legislature, voted on four abortion–related proposals Friday and created an Extraordinary Committee to draft new abortion laws. Meanwhile, the EU Parliament voted to include the right to a safe and legal abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, specifically condemning Poland’s [...]

Independent French reparations agency, Instance Nationale Indépendate de Reconnaissance et de Réparation (INIRR), reported that it has provided financial reparations to over 500 victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy or leaders in the Catholic Church in 2023. INIRR’s 2023 report revealed that over 60 percent of victims are men, averaging an age of 61 years [...]

Seven EU institutions are in agreement on the creation of a new ethics body following a press conference with representatives and negotiators. The agreement marks significant progress in the establishment of the body, initially proposed by Parliament in 2021 and deemed “unsatisfactory” in 2023. The call for a regulatory ethics body aims to protect EU [...]

An AP and CNHI News report published Sunday found that less than a third of US states have agencies to resolve citizen disputes regarding access to public records or open meetings. The only recourse for resolving transparency-related disputes in these states is for citizens to engage in expensive litigation. While some states like Arizona do [...]

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, found guilty of killing 77 people, mainly teenagers, in July 2011, lost his claim Thursday against the state to end his solitary confinement in prison. The trial for Breivik’s suit was held in January against the Norwegian Ministry of Justice over the conditions of his detention. The trial was [...]

India’s Delhi High Court (DHC) refused Monday to interfere with ombudsman proceedings against Shibu Soren, who is the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand state and a member of India’s upper house of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. Soren is facing corruption charges stemming from a complaint filed by MP Nishikant Dubery of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party [...]

The Colombian Ombudsman’s Office (DPC) reported Tuesday that 181 social leaders and human rights defenders were murdered in 2023. The figure dropped 16 percent from the data reported for 2022. The ombudsman’s office, in its “Annual report on the killings of social leaders and human rights defenders,” highlighted the alarming situation faced by individuals dedicated [...]

Former Russian military intelligence officer Igor Salikov arrived in the Netherlands this week to testify as a witness at the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding Russian war crimes. Salikov is a former intelligence officer who took part in operations conducted by the Russian Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the [...]

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Thursday in a 5-2 vote that a Polish court violated a woman’s right to private and family life by forcing her to travel abroad to receive an abortion due to a fetal anomaly. In her petition to the ECHR, the applicant asserted that in 2020, she underwent [...]

The Finnish government announced the closure of four crossing points on the Finland-Russia border Thursday. The closure will start on November 18 and remain in force for one year. Upon the closure, asylum seekers will only be able to make their submissions at two crossing points: Vartius and Salla. As asylum applications can only be [...]