68 | Annual Report 2019 22 January Talks with employees of Aabenraa Municipality not conducted in a manner respecting their freedom of expression A number of employees of Aabenraa Municipality were summoned to talks with their managements because they had expressed their views in public. On investigating the matter, the Ombudsman concludes that the talks were not conducted in a manner which respected – and recognised – the employees’ freedom of expression. 23 January Greater clarity in relation to immobilisations with restraint belts of children and young people in inpatient psychiatric care Children and young people in inpatient psychiatric care may be immobilised with restraint belts. When that happens, it is important that clear rules apply and that the immobilisations are documented correctly. For this reason the Ombudsman is pleased with new initiatives aimed at providing greater clarity in relation to immobilisations with restraint belts. 24 January Employees were entitled to pass internal document about mayor’s wedding reception on to press The City of Copenhagen has stated to the Parliamentary Ombudsman that if it was an employee of the City who passed on an internal work document to the press about the wedding reception of the then Mayor for Employment and Integration, which was held at the Copenhagen City Hall in August 2017, this was neither illegal nor unacceptable. On the basis of statements from the City of Copenhagen, the Ombudsman has decided not to take any further action on the matter, which has increased the City’s focus on the right of its employees to whistleblow. 29 January Course of action when news of case against criminal gang was made public a matter for severe criticism In June 2018 the Ministry of Justice announced a decision to bring a case before the courts under section 78 of the Constitution to have a criminal gang dissolved. On investigating the course of events, the Ombudsman describes the Ministry’s course of action as a matter for severe criticism. He concludes, among other things, that the Ministry disregarded general principles of equality and legitimacy – and failed to treat the counsel for the gang correctly – in favour of attention in the media. 7 February Separate accommodation of married or cohabiting underage asylum seekers – questions about new information In March 2017 the Parliamentary Ombudsman submitted his final report on the case of separate accommodation of married or cohabiting underage asylum seekers. The Ombudsman found that the instruction issued by the Minister for Immigration, Integration and Housing on 10 February 2016 to the Danish Immigration Service was illegal by virtue of its content and that the Ministry’s course of action in the case was a matter for extreme criticism. The national daily newspaper Information today mentions an internal exchange of e-mails at the Immigration Service which took place on the day the instruction was issued. In this connection the Ombudsman can inform that the newspaper sent the information in question to the Ombudsman’s office on 30 January 2019. This caused the Ombudsman to contact the Ministry of Immigration and Integration on 1 February 2019.