BackThe Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB) will take up its new function as National Preventive Mechanism within the OPCAT regime as of 1 July 2012 and is currently taking the necessary preparatory steps. In addition to filling staff vacancies the AOB’s new Human Rights Advisory Board recently convened for the first time.
OPCAT obliges participating states to introduce an inspection system for all places of detention. As of 1 July 2012 the new Human Rights Advisory Board will advise AOB members on different matters regarding the inspection system such as eventual priorities, potential recommendations following such visits as well as establishing common standards for these visits.
According to the new legal foundations of the AOB the Human Rights Advisory Board is not part of the NPM structure as such but acts as an advisory body. The AOB appoints the Human Rights Advisory Board Chair as well as its members and their substitutes. Once that they are appointed members act independently. All members are requested to possess a specific expertise in the field of human rights.
Prior to the first session of this new advisory body AOB members have appointed Mrs. Renate Kicker as Chairwoman. Mrs. Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer will take on the function as Deputy Chairwoman. Renate Kicker is Deputy Head of the Institute of International Law and International Relations at the University of Graz and has longstanding experience as member of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT). Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer is Deputy Head of the Department of Constitutional and Administrative Law at the University of Vienna and substitute member of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. Since 2008 she has acted as Deputy Chairwoman of the previous Human Rights Advisory Board that was not affiliated with the AOB.
NGOs as well as Federal Ministries and representatives from the Laender are represented in the Human Rights Advisory Board. Members and substitute members are appointed by the AOB following a nomination process by NGOs and ministries. At the end of February 2012 AOB members informed representatives of human rights NGOs about the opportunity for civil society to participate in the future Human Rights Advisory Board. More than 30 NGOs actively participated in the following decision-making process. A joint proposal concerning the collaboration of civil society was submitted to the AOB and AOB members followed this recommendation. Likewise the competent Federal ministries and Federal states nominated their candidates.
