The Role of Ombudsman Institutions in Defending the Rights of Military Personnel

The Ombudsman type institutions are appointed to investigate individuals’ complaints against public authority and represent important actors in human rights protection system and in implementing democratic controls of the security system. These institutions have the task of interrupting human rights and the fundamental freedoms of armed force personnel, as well as ensuring the over-protection and prevention of defamation of armed forces. At the European level, the institutions of the Ombudsman are particularly important for ensuring the accountability of public authorities outside the contradictory environment of the courts. Ombudsman’s general institutions are mandated to receive complaints about all or almost all state organs, and their attributions concern all public services and government branches, including the armed forces. In addition, the ombudsman institutions with exclusive jurisdiction are independent and have exclusive jurisdiction over the armed forces, usually civilian and independent of the military command chain. Also, the Ombudsman institutions operating within the army can be identified and these are not completely independent, most often subordinated to the defense ministry and receive money from the defense budget.