You disagree with an authority’s decision or procedure; the authority is inactive even though it should act; its decision-making is taking too long; you were not invited to become a party to certain proceedings; an officer treats you inappropriately, etc.
They treat you, or someone close to you, badly in a retirement home, treatment facility for long-term patients, psychiatric hospital, children’s home, prison, or some other facility, and you think that the Ombudsman should make an inspection.
Do you believe that someone is treating you differently because of your age, sex, nationality or on some other grounds specified by the Anti-Discrimination Act? Is it an authority, a company or local self-government that discriminate against you?
Have you experienced discrimination, unhelpfulness on the part of authorities or ill-treatment because of your disability? Would you like to let us know about any systemic problems, such as unavailability of certain services, barriers, etc.?
Read through our recommendations on how to deal with certain problems, such as debt enforcement, lengthy court proceedings, obtaining a construction permit, bullying at work, pension and social benefits, contact with children after divorce, infractions, etc.
How do Czech authorities respond when a foreign national contacts them in a language other than the official ones (Czech or Slovak)? This was the subject of a new study by the Ombudsman. The findings show that authorities do not handle electronic submissions in foreign languages consistently. The complexity of the submission and the language skills of officials play a role. The Ministry of the Interior has called on public authorities to follow the recommendations arising from the Ombudsman’s research.
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.
People with disabilities in the Czech Republic still face major barriers to living independently, with dignity, and on equal terms with others. New research by the Deputy Defender finds that the State fulfils only 38% of some obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
