The amendments to the Constitutional Law on the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan have been approved

The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, has approved the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on amending the Constitutional Law on the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

According to the document, the Ombudsman is authorized to implement the functions of an independent monitoring mechanism for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), as well as for monitoring and promoting equal rights and non-discrimination.

In addition, the Ombudsman can conduct an analysis of the implementation process of state programs, strategies, national action plans, and concepts in the field of human rights and provide opinions and recommendations to the relevant authority for monitoring and evaluation in the respective area.

According to the amendments, the President of Azerbaijan presents the nominations of three candidates to the Parliament for the selection of a new Ombudsman within 30 days, until the expiration of the Ombudsman's authority. The Parliament will make the relevant decision on the Ombudsman's selection within 15 days.

Furthermore, the Ombudsman is empowered to conduct on-site investigations on complaints, document the results, and take measures to investigate complaints in the manner prescribed by Chapter II of this Constitutional Law. Also, the Ombudsman has the authority to take measures to prevent and alleviate human rights violations by inviting representatives of state bodies, municipalities, and other institutions during the implementation of the national preventive mechanism and the independent monitoring mechanism. The Ombudsman shall, within 10 working days, provide the complainant with written information about the actions and results taken regarding the examination of his/her complaint.

Besides, when investigating complaints about violations of the right of access to information, the Ombudsman may request essential information (documents, materials) or their copies from information owners.

The changes and other legal norms serve to ensure the reliable protection of human rights and freedoms in our country.

We express our heartfelt gratitude to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, on behalf of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan and its staff for the support provided in achieving a more effective protection of human rights and freedoms.