Office of the commissioner for fundamental rights of hungary

Dr. Ákos Kozma and his staff members conducted an on-site inspection at the Hajdú-Bihar County Remand Prison on 16 November 2023 in the framework of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). The Ombudsman was received by Prison Major General, Deputy Director General for Finance and Detention of the Hungarian Prison Service Headquarters János Schmehl, as well as Prison Lieutenant Colonel, Prison Commander László Fazekas.

Chaired by Ombudsman Dr. Ákos Kozma, the meeting of the Disability Advisory Board, which consists of the representatives of the organisations active in various fields of disability in Hungary was held at the General Directorate of Disability of the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary in Debrecen on 15 November 2023. This board assists the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights in performing his tasks related to the independent mechanism under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

From 31 October to 1 November 2023, the staff members of the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary took part in a study trip to the Polish Ombudsman’s Office, the goal of which was to exchange experience between the national human rights institutions.

Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary Dr. Ákos Kozma paid an official visit to Vienna on 30 October 2023, where he conducted a work meeting with the head of the Austrian Ombudsman Board, Secretary General of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) Ms. Gaby Schwarz, on the bilateral work relations between the two institutions, the development and strengthening of these relations, the possible ways of future cooperation, as well as on the problem of closing the road section between Somfalva (Schattendorf) and Ágfalova (Agendorf), along with the possible solutions to this problem, among others.

Dr. Ákos Kozma attended a conference entitled “Enhancing Independence and Effectiveness” in Strasbourg on 27 October 2023. The speakers of the conference organised by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) discussed the challenges, the applied practices and the achievements of the inquiries into equal treatment as their key topic.

Dr. Ákos Kozma and his staff members conducted an on-site inspection at the Zala County Remand Prison on 24 October 2023 in the framework of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). The Ombudsman was received by Prison Major General, Deputy Director General for Security and Incarceration of the Hungarian Prison Service Headquarters Mr. János Schmehl, as well as Prison Colonel, Prison Governor Mr. József Együd.