The Network of Ombudsmen, National Human Rights Commissions and other Human Rights Institutions of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries – CPLP Human Rights Network – held its seventh meeting in Lisbon on 26 September 2024. Chaired by the Ombudsperson of Portugal, Maria Lúcia Amaral, the meeting brought together the Ombudsmen of Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and East Timor, the…
The Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, was heard by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms and Guarantees on 10 September, to present the Annual Activity Report for 2023, including the National Prevention Mechanism Report. To listen to the hearing, click here.
The Ombudsman’s Office, as a member of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AOM), took part in the association’s Extraordinary General Assembly held in Cyprus on 25 September. During the meeting, the Cyprus Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights was elected Vice-President of the AOM. The following day, the Ombudsman’s Office also took part in the Conference on ‘The…
The Ombudsman’s Office joined the launch of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) project ‘Rights without Borders: Cooperation to Strengthen Human Rights in Detention Centres for Migration Purposes in Portugal’. The initiative, which took place in Lisbon on 25 September 2024, is part of the mission to contribute to the promotion and defence of the human rights of foreign people…
The Ombudsman’s Office took part in the 11th edition of the INDH Academy, an annual initiative of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) and the Organisation for Security and European Cooperation (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), which took place from 17 to 21 June in Bratislava. The 2024 edition addressed securitisation issues and…
The Ombudsperson has sent a Recommendation to the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing to amend the legislation to bring the level of protection afforded to road passengers on par with the higher level afforded to rail passengers. The Recommendation now addressed to the Government is the result of an analysis of a complaint received alleging the unconstitutionality of the rules…
The Ombudsperson took part in the commemorations of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, organised by the Syndicate of Greuges in Barcelona on 1 July 2024, presenting the paper “The Portuguese penitentiary system and its monitoring by the National Preventive Mechanism”. NPM coordinator Miguel Feldmann was also present. The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture…
Within the scope of the Collaboration Protocol with the National Centre for Legal Innovation (CNIJ), set up by the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon in Bragança, the Ombudsman’s Office held its first Annual Meeting on 28 June to publicise its attributions and activities. This first initiative centred on the recent Report on Citizen Service in Public Services.…
On 7 June, the Ombudsman obtained the renewal of its accreditation as a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), maintaining the maximum ‘A’ status it has held since 1999. The demanding accreditation process takes place periodically under the auspices of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), in order to assess and certify the degree of compliance of NHRIs…
On 3 and 4 June, the Ombudsman, Mária Lúcia Amaral, received a delegation from Georgia, led by Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani, for a working visit that culminated in the signing of a cooperation agreement on the promotion and protection of human rights. This visit to Portugal, which allowed for an intense exchange of experiences and good practices, was organised as part…
