On May 16, 2023, members of the delegation consisting of representatives of the ombudsman institutions of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan met with the Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Hungary. The Hungarian Constitutional Court, composed of 15 judges, was established in 1990. During the meeting, the chairman of the court, introducing the guests to the activities of this institution, also touched upon a number of powers of the ombudsman institution. According to him, the Hungarian Ombudsman has the right to apply to the Constitutional Court in case of gross violations of the law in the interests of human rights. The Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights also has this authority.

On the same day, the Ombudsmen also met with the head of the National Prison Service of the Republic of Hungary. In Hungary, it is known that closed institutions such as penitentiaries and pre-trial detention centers operate independently of the Ministry of the Interior. At the meeting, information was given about the conditions created for convicts and prisoners, their training in professions, involvement in useful work, innovative technologies being introduced into practice.

The meeting reviewed the experience and results achieved by the countries of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan in relation to monitoring visits to closed institutions with limited freedom of movement under the leadership of the Ombudsman within the framework of the National Preventive Mechanism.

More than 150 employees work in the central office of the Hungarian Ombudsman. Since March 2022, 6 regional offices of the Ombudsman have started working.

On the second day of the visit, the guests visited the regional office of the Hungarian Ombudsman in Debrecen, which has 10 employees. The attention of the delegation was drawn to the creation in this department of a separate department for working with appeals from people with disabilities.

Also at the meetings, an exchange of experience took place regarding the role of ombudsman institutions in ensuring the rights of refugees and socially vulnerable groups of the population, as well as cooperation between national human rights institutions and law enforcement agencies.

Press Service of the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis for Human Rights (Ombudsman)