Current events: news and press releases

We have participated in the Athens Democracy Forum to discuss the challenges of democracy in the age of artificial intelligence

03/10/2024

The institution of the Catalan Ombudsman participated in the Athens Democracy Forum, a space for debate that this year reflects on the role of democracy in the age of artificial intelligence, fake news and social networks. The aim was to bring together leaders, intellectuals and experts from around the world to address the key challenges facing democracy today.

Anna Piferrer, from the Catalan Ombudsman’s Area for Children and Adolescents, accompanied Giada and Ferran, young advisers and students from two secondary schools in Catalonia, the Josep Lladonosa secondary school, in Lleida, and the Maristes Anna Ravell secondary school, in Barcelona. In total, young advisors from eleven European regions, including Catalonia, the Basque Country and Andalusia, participated in the Forum.

The Forum, now in its 12th year, was held in Athens, the capital of Greece and the birthplace of democracy. The event took place from 1 to 3 October and was organized by The Democracy & Culture Foundation, in collaboration with the New York Times.

The Catalan ombudswoman argues that restorative amnesty is important to resolve the Catalan conflict

26/10/2023

The Catalan ombudswoman, Esther Giménez-Salinas, has travelled to Luxembourg to participate in the seminar “Crisis management: what is the role of the ombudsperson?”, organised by the Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of the Francophonie (AOMF), which has taken place on 24 and 25 October.

The main mission of the AOMF is to promote the role of ombudsperson institutions in French-speaking countries in Europe, America and Africa, and to encourage the development and consolidation of independent mediation institutions.

The seminar was organised around the role of ombudsperson institutions in three specific situations: a health crisis, a national crisis and a climate crisis.

During the round table on national crises, which also included the ombudswomen of Burkina Faso and the Principality of Monaco, Esther Giménez-Salinas has spoken about the conflict between Catalonia and Spain, which intensified after the referendum of 1 October 2017. This referendum had a number of consequences, such as the application of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution to the Catalan government and administration (which started the process of suspending the region’s self-government), and the imprisonment and exile of those accused of organising it.

The Catalan ombudswoman has given a historical overview of the conflict, which in her opinion began with the amendment of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia in 2006. She also wanted to denounce the criminal dimension that this conflict has taken on, despite it being an eminently political crisis: "The judicialisation of political conflicts is not a good option, not even for justice itself", she said.

She has also stressed the importance of the granting of pardons, which were a first step towards normalisation, but she has pointed out that "there is still a long way to go and many open wounds". She has also welcomed the removal of the crime of sedition from the Penal Code, as "it was an outdated crime, not in line with European legislation and with excessively high penalties".

She has concluded her speech by saying that the amnesty route may sometimes seem unfair, but it is necessary. For it to be possible, it must incorporate the principles of restorative justice and meet three conditions: it must bring social peace, it must have positive consequences that outweigh the harm, and it must be supported by a broad majority.

The Catalan ombudswoman argues that restorative amnesty is important to resolve the Catalan conflict

25/10/2023

The Catalan ombudswoman, Esther Giménez-Salinas, has travelled to Luxembourg to participate in the seminar “Crisis management: what is the role of the ombudsperson?”, organised by the Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of the Francophonie (AOMF), which has taken place on 24 and 25 October.

The main mission of the AOMF is to promote the role of ombudsperson institutions in French-speaking countries in Europe, America and Africa, and to encourage the development and consolidation of independent mediation institutions.

The seminar was organised around the role of ombudsperson institutions in three specific situations: a health crisis, a national crisis and a climate crisis.

During the round table on national crises, which also included the ombudswomen of Burkina Faso and the Principality of Monaco, Esther Giménez-Salinas has spoken about the conflict between Catalonia and Spain, which intensified after the referendum of 1 October 2017. This referendum had a number of consequences, such as the application of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution to the Catalan government and administration (which started the process of suspending the region’s self-government), and the imprisonment and exile of those accused of organising it.

The Catalan ombudswoman has given a historical overview of the conflict, which in her opinion began with the amendment of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia in 2006. She also wanted to denounce the criminal dimension that this conflict has taken on, despite it being an eminently political crisis: "The judicialisation of political conflicts is not a good option, not even for justice itself", she said.

She has also stressed the importance of the granting of pardons, which were a first step towards normalisation, but she has pointed out that "there is still a long way to go and many open wounds". She has also welcomed the removal of the crime of sedition from the Penal Code, as "it was an outdated crime, not in line with European legislation and with excessively high penalties".

She has concluded her speech by saying that the amnesty route may sometimes seem unfair, but it is necessary. For it to be possible, it must incorporate the principles of restorative justice and meet three conditions: it must bring social peace, it must have positive consequences that outweigh the harm, and it must be supported by a broad majority.

''Nothing about us, without us!''

14/09/2023

Two members of the Youth Advisory Council of the Catalan Ombudsman participated in a meeting of the European Network of Young Advisors (ENYA), which took place in Malta at the beginning of July. The aim of the conference was to discuss the role of institutions for the defence of children's rights.

The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child included for the first time the right to participation of children and young people under the age of eighteen. However, our society does not always have the channels and opportunities to listen to children and young people.

With the aim of gathering young people’s opinions, the Catalan Ombudsman created the Youth Advisory Council in the 2007/2008 school year. 17 students aged between fourteen and fifteen from 8 Catalan schools took part in its latest edition.

ENYA organises an annual forum where young people from different countries, accompanied by their coordinators, can meet, get to know other cultures and, above all, discuss and exchange views on a pre-selected topic that each group has worked on in advance. This year's meeting in Malta was attended by 35 young people from all over Europe. Leila Serroukh, a student from the Sants secondary school in Barcelona, and Alba Molina, from the Terrassa secondary school, represented the Youth Advisory Council.

As a result of the work done during these days, the young participants concluded that there is a need to increase the visibility, accessibility and the independent role of children's rights institutions. The recommendations resulting from the meeting have been summarised in a document and will be presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC), which will take place in Brussels from 19 to 21 September. Leila Serroukh will again be the Catalan representative.

''Nothing about us, without us!''

13/09/2023

Two members of the Youth Advisory Council of the Catalan Ombudsman participated in a meeting of the European Network of Young Advisors (ENYA), which took place in Malta at the beginning of July. The aim of the conference was to discuss the role of institutions for the defence of children's rights.

The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child included for the first time the right to participation of children and young people under the age of eighteen. However, our society does not always have the channels and opportunities to listen to children and young people.

With the aim of gathering young people’s opinions, the Catalan Ombudsman created the Youth Advisory Council in the 2007/2008 school year. 17 students aged between fourteen and fifteen from 8 Catalan schools took part in its latest edition.

ENYA organises an annual forum where young people from different countries, accompanied by their coordinators, can meet, get to know other cultures and, above all, discuss and exchange views on a pre-selected topic that each group has worked on in advance. This year's meeting in Malta was attended by 35 young people from all over Europe. Leila Serroukh, a student from the Sants secondary school in Barcelona, and Alba Molina, from the Terrassa secondary school, represented the Youth Advisory Council.

As a result of the work done during these days, the young participants concluded that there is a need to increase the visibility, accessibility and the independent role of children's rights institutions. The recommendations resulting from the meeting have been summarised in a document and will be presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of the European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC), which will take place in Brussels from 19 to 21 September. Leila Serroukh will again be the Catalan representative.