News

On 30 September, the Chancellor of Justice of the Republic of Estonia, Ülle Madise, was elected as a member of the Board of seven directors of the European region of the International Ombudsman Institute. The European region of the institute includes 80 national and regional ombudsmen from most of the countries of Europe.

On 22 September 2015, at the sitting of the Riigikogu, Ülle Madise presented her Annual Report on the performance of activities of the Chancellor of Justice in 2014 and in the first eight months of 2015. 

From 29 June to 2 July, advisors to the Chancellor of Justice visited the Erastvere Home, the Kodijärve Home and the special care centre Pariisi Erihoolduskeskus. The problems identified during inspection visits were generally similar in all three institutions.

Since 1^st of September 2015, the Chancellor of Justice has a new department, which is responsible for managing, planning and carrying out inspection visits into the authorities under supervision; performing the tasks of national preventive mechanism; developing methodologies for inspection visits; compiling summaries of visits; etc.

Taking up the post of director of the Office of the Chancellor of Justice today is Olari Koppel, who until recently was the head of the Estonian Cooperation Assembly.

On 31 March Ülle Madise took the oath of office of the Chancellor of Justice before the new Riigikogu and began to fulfil the duties of the Chancellor of Justice.

Last year, advisers to the Chancellor of Justice visited four psychiatric hospitals, six special care homes and 12 nursing care hospitals to see how the rights of residents are protected. In many institutions, problems were detected in the storage of medicines and their administration to residents. There are also doubts regarding residents’ dignity always being guaranteed in these places.

Indrek Teder, whose term as Chancellor of Justice came to an end yesterday, has transferred the official duties of the position to his deputy and adviser Nele Parrest.

Parrest will fulfil these duties until new Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise takes office. Madise will step into the role after swearing the oath of office before the new Riigikogu.

On 20^th of January 2015, Riigikogu elected Ülle Madise as the new Chancellor of Justice in Estonia with 72 votes for, 9 against and 2 impartial. Ms. Madise is currently the legal adviser to the President of the Republic and the head of the Institute of Constitutional and International Law at the University of Tartu.

English summary of Annual Report 2013 consists of overview of the Chancellor of Justice's activities for the prevention of ill-treatment (OPCAT), as the ombudsman for children, for the promotion of equality and equal treatment and general proceeding statistics.

Ombudsmen at their European Regional Conference in Estonia have called on ombudsmen across Europe to raise with their national parliament the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the continuing conflict in Ukraine.

Chancellor of Justice's closing remarks at the conference “Ombudsman’s Role in a Democracy” in Tallinn.

The conference of the European Chapter of the International Ombudsman Institute Ombudsman’s Role in a Democracy will be held on the initiative of Chancellor of Justice Indrek Teder at Tallinn Teachers House from 17-19 September.

In his address at the start of the school year, Ombudsman for Children Indrek Teder urged school principals to pay attention to the importance of a safe and bullying-free school environment. He also encouraged school principals to use anti-bullying programmes more actively.

Today a new school year begins. From now on, in many families, life will follow the course directed by school.

Under the aegis of the Ombudsman for Children, the website for the ‘Bully-free school’ programme has now been completed. It offers practical advice on preventing bullying and for the resolution of cases of bullying.

The Chancellor of Justice acting also as the ombudsman for children in Estonia has published together with professionals a booklet “Bullying-free school”. The booklet gives practical recommendations for pupils, teachers and parents for the prevention of bullying and resolving bullying incidents.

The Office of the Chancellor of Justice and the Estonian Union for Child Welfare are organising the conference entitled “Bullying-free Education” that will be held on 2 April and opened by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, who will be visiting Estonia at the time.