Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today met in the Strasbourg headquarters of the Council of Europe, the Chief Ombudsman of Turkey, Mehmet Nihat Ömeroğlu, who was appointed to this post in November 2012. 

The Ombudsman institution in Turkey has been established to monitor the actions and activities of the executive Organ of the country on behalf of its parliament. This came as a result of a recommendation by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly in 2004, while Turkey was still under the monitoring procedure of PACE. In doing so, PACE based itself on the Committee of Ministers' Recommendation R (85) 13 to member states on the institution of the Ombudsman.

Welcoming the establishment of the office of the Ombudsman the Secretary General said: "This is a positive development in the institutional protection of human rights. The Council of Europe stands ready to co-operate with Turkish Ombudsman at any time."

The Ombudsman institution in Turkey has been established to monitor the actions and activities of the executive Organ of the country on behalf of its parliament. This came as a result of a recommendation by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly in 2004, while Turkey was still under the monitoring procedure of PACE. In doing so, PACE based itself on the Committee of Ministers' Recommendation R (85) 13 to member states on the institution of the Ombudsman.

Welcoming the establishment of the office of the Ombudsman the Secretary General said: "This is a positive development in the institutional protection of human rights. The Council of Europe stands ready to co-operate with Turkish Ombudsman at any time."