AUSTRIA | Slovak Ombudsman visits Ombudsperson Schwetz

On 21 January 2025, the current Chairperson of the Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB), Ms. Elisabeth Schwetz, welcomed the Public Defender of Rights of the Slovak Republic, Mr. Róbert Dobrovodský, and his delegation at the premises of the AOB. Mr. Dobrovodský was accompanied by staff members specialised in fundamental rights and NPM matters. The purpose of this inaugural visit was an exchange on thematic areas such as police matters and human rights. The Office of the Public Defender of Rights intends to submit a report to Slovakia’s Parliament, which will also contain best practice examples from other European countries.

Ombudsperson Schwetz, whose monitoring areas also include the police, explained to Ombudsman Dobrovodský – together with AOB and NPM experts - the competences of the AOB as well as the structure of a monitoring visit carried out by the AOB’s NPM commissions. One of the insights presented during this meeting was that suspected cases of misconduct of the Austrian police force can be investigated in two possible ways: by means of an NPM visit or through investigative proceedings initiated by the AOB ex officio or as a reaction to a specific complaint.

Other topics during this visit included the organisation of the AOB’s NPM commissions, the integration of training in the field of fundamental and human rights in the basic training of police officers. Furthermore, the group discussed the balancing act between the police’s power to issue direct administrative orders and to carry out coercive measures and the protection of fundamental rights, as well as the corresponding list of recommendations developed by the AOB.

Source: Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB)