In Russia, there is no need to create an institution of military ombudsmen, Tatyana Moskalkova, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, believes. “Now it is necessary to unite the efforts of all those who protect the rights of the “man with a gun”, his relatives and friends,” the ombudsman answered the question of “Kommersant”. “To hone and improve the experience already gained by Russian ombudsmen, and not start anew to create new structures from scratch” .
Ms. Moskalkova noted that the institution of human rights ombudsmen has already prioritized the protection of the rights of servicemen and their families. The ombudsman’s office opened a separate hotline, formed two working groups for urgent consideration of appeals, and cooperates with the Ministry of Defense and the military prosecutor’s office. “Practically all commissioners for human rights in the constituent entities of the Federation are members of mobilization headquarters,” the ombudswoman added. “We constantly conduct personal receptions, work via video conferencing.”
Recall that the draft law on the introduction of the institution of the military ombudsman was introduced to the State Duma on Wednesday by representatives of the New People party – faction leader Alexei Nechaev, his deputy Sardana Avksentieva and deputy speaker of the State Duma Vladislav Davankov. The draft federal law “On Commissioners for the Protection of the Rights of Persons Liable for Military Service and Servicemen in the Russian Federation” defines the main tasks of the federal military ombudsman and his regional colleagues. The deputies propose to give authorized representatives the right to apply to government agencies on behalf of the military, visit colonies and courts. It is assumed that the military ombudsman will be appointed by the president of Russia, and his term of office is determined by analogy with today’s commissioners – five years. Among the criteria for an applicant for the position of military ombudsman, the authors of the bill indicate age (over 30 years old), “an impeccable reputation and experience in human rights activities.” Now the project is in the State Duma Committee on the Development of Civil Society, Issues of Public and Religious Associations.
It should be noted that earlier the head of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, Valery Fadeev, also expressed doubts about the need to create a structure of military ombudsmen. He stated that Russia already has an “extremely effective” apparatus of authorized representatives.