Deputies intend to strengthen federal and regional ombudsmen

State Duma deputies plan to expand the tools of the Commissioner for Human Rights (HRC) and strengthen the offices of regional ombudsmen. Relevant proposals are being prepared by the Duma Committee for the Development of Civil Society. According to its chairman Olga Timofeeva, the initiative is dictated by the increased load on these structures. However, this will not increase the official weight of the commissioners, the expert believes.

The relevant committee of the Duma discussed the resource strengthening of regional ombudsmen and additional powers for the HRC at a meeting on January 30. Olga Timofeeva reminded her colleagues about last year’s decision to “expand” the relevant topics. According to her, the Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova has been working “broader” than the existing application principle (complaint – reaction) for two years now, so the committee will propose expanding the powers so that the ombudsman, outside of the application, can “come in, control, give feedback on changes in legislation.” At the same time, the deputies will keep under control the issue of the Human Rights Commissioner in the regions, the head of the committee promised: “Remember the story with the commissioners, under whom there is no apparatus, and the cynical answers of the legislative assemblies and some heads of the subjects: they work, they cope?” Ms. Timofeeva did not rule out that the Duma will have to change the federal law on regional HRCs, “so that we understand that there is an institution and it works.”

“In the context of the collapse of all international human rights institutions, we need a well-functioning human rights institution of our own: this is important in today’s conditions, when there are a large number of new challenges,” Olga Timofeeva explained to Kommersant. She did not rule out that the committee would propose amendments to the constitutional law “On the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation”: “There are new areas in which work is already underway: protecting the rights of refugees, mobilized people, and military personnel in zones of military conflicts.” According to the head of the committee, now the ombudsman not only responds to requests, but also “works proactively”: “The workload has really increased, so it is necessary to prescribe these powers in order to strengthen the working apparatus.”

Deputies spoke about the apparatus of regional HRCs at last year’s consideration of Tatyana Moskalkova’s annual report, Ms. Timofeeva recalled. Later, the committee selected ten constituent entities of the Russian Federation with the smallest or no ombudsman offices at all and sent letters to governors and parliaments. “Based on the results, only one region decided to increase the staff of the working apparatus by one unit, to four people,” the deputy complained and emphasized that the Duma is not satisfied with “the situation when the authorities say that everything is fine, the authorized representatives are coping with it.” Olga Timofeeva added that special attention should be paid to the issues of creating an HRC institute in new territories (they are already operating in the DPR and LPR), as well as the launch of the FSIS HRC (a mechanism for automating work in one-window mode). “All this will be discussed at parliamentary hearings,” the deputy promised (the event is tentatively scheduled for March).

The Human Rights Commissioner in the Sverdlovsk Region, Tatyana Merzlyakova (in office since 2001), confirmed to Kommersant that the request to strengthen the structure “comes from below”: “Life has shown that the institute is in demand by the population, people are coming. And since there is a demand, we need to improve some things.” According to her, the HRC Institute, contrary to popular belief, works far beyond the scope of “legal consultations,” which requires the availability of resources: “Tatiana Moskalkova managed to unite us into a powerful community to solve problems that require intervention at the federal level. And to solve problems at the local level, of course, we need strong apparatus.”

Mrs. Merzlyakova has such a device at her disposal, but many of her colleagues do not have it and sometimes cannot “even travel to the territory on their own.” “We report seriously to governors and parliaments, and, of course, it’s difficult for my colleagues,” said the ombudsman. “It’s impossible to be torn between solving some problems that relate to administrative work and going to offices.”

When asked whether the strengthening of regional ombudsmen will provoke dissatisfaction with the local elites, who have received a new hardware competitor, and even one aimed at correcting their mistakes, Tatyana Merzlyakova found it difficult to answer directly. The work of the ombudsman, she emphasized, “depends on personal attitude and interaction,” although the key task is to help specific people: “It is important that everyone understands that behind me there is not some force, financial group or order, but a person.” “I try not to spoil anyone’s reputation, because I am interested in us having strong leaders who can resolve issues,” the ombudsman added.

In the current political realities, it is difficult to imagine the growth of the instrumental weight of ombudsmen, says Mikhail Vinogradov, president of the St. Petersburg Politics Foundation: “The same transformation is happening with them as with public chambers: from an element of external control and sometimes a counterbalance, albeit nominal, they are becoming more into one of the instruments of power.” At the same time, “the closure of law enforcement agencies to external control” is intensifying, and the institution of the Human Rights Commissioner is “moving away from the classical protection of human rights into the fight for the “social rights of workers” or families of combatants.” “This expands the possibilities of interaction with the authorities, but rather as a junior partner rather than a full-fledged subject,” sums up Mr. Vinogradov.

Grigory Leiba