Izvajanje nalog in pooblastil državnega preventivnega mehanizma od začetka delovanja v letu 2008 do leta 2014 Zakon o ratifikaciji Opcijskega protokola Act ratifying the Optional Protocol Zakon o ratifikaciji Opcijskega protokola (5. člen) določa, da naloge in pooblastila DPM izvršuje Varuh. Hkrati določa, da lahko z Varuhom pri opravljanju nadzora na krajih odvzema prostosti in preverjanja ravnanja z osebami, ki jim je bila odvzeta prostost, sodelujejo tudi NVO, registrirane v Republiki Sloveniji, ter organizacije, ki so pridobile status humanitarne organizacije v Republiki Sloveniji, ki se ukvarjajo z varstvom človekovih pravic ali temeljnih svoboščin, zlasti s področja preprečevanja mučenja in drugih krutih, nečloveških ali poniževalnih kazni ali ravnanj. Te organizacije se izberejo na podlagi javnega razpisa, ki ga izvede Varuh, ki tudi odloči o izbiri organizacije. Zakon o ratifikaciji Opcijskega protokola tudi določa, da morajo osebe iz izbranih organizacij, ki bodo sodelovale pri izvajanju nalog in pooblastil DPM, dati predhodno pisno izjavo, da bodo pri opravljanju teh nalog in pooblastil delovale po Varuhovih navodilih in predpisih o varovanju tajnosti osebnih in tajnih podatkov tako, kakor to velja za Varuha, njegove namestnike in uslužbence. Potrebne stroške in nagrade osebam iz organizacij, ki opravljajo naloge oziroma izvršujejo pooblastila, pa izplača Varuh iz svojih proračunskih postavk po pravilniku, ki ga izda po predhodnem soglasju ministra, pristojnega za finance. Pravilnik se objavi v Uradnem listu Republike Slovenije. Na tej podlagi je Varuh izdal Pravilnik o povračilu stroškov in o nagradah osebam iz organizacij, ki opravljajo naloge oziroma izvršujejo pooblastila po določbah Opcijskega protokola h Konvenciji proti mučenju in drugim krutim, nečloveškim ali poniževalnim kaznim ali ravnanju.5 The Act ratifying the Optional Protocol (Article 5) determines that the duties and powers of the NPM are to be implemented by the Ombudsman. It also stipulates that NGOs registered in the Republic of Slovenia and organisations which hold the status of humanitarian organisations in the Republic of Slovenia and which deal with the protection of human rights or fundamental freedoms, particularly in the field of preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, may participate in the supervision of places of detention and examination of the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty. These organisations are selected on the basis of a public procurement published by the Ombudsman, who also decides on the selection of organisations. The Act ratifying the Optional Protocol also stipulates that persons from selected organisations which will be participating in the implementation of duties and powers of the NPM have to provide a preliminary written statement that when implementing these duties and powers they will observe the Ombudsman’s instructions and regulations on the protection of personal and confidential data, as also applicable to the Ombudsman, her deputies and staff. The costs of, and remuneration of, persons from organisations conducting tasks or implementing powers are covered by the Ombudsman from its budget headings according to the rules issued on the basis of the prior consent of the minister responsible for finance. The rules are published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia. On this basis, the Ombudsman issued the Rules on the reimbursement of costs and remuneration of persons from organisations performing tasks or executing authorisations according to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.5 Priprave na prevzem dodatnih nalog Varuh se je že v letu 2006 začel pripravljati na dodatne naloge in pooblastila po Opcijskem protokolu tako, da je predvidel sredstva za dodatne zaposlitve, sredstva, potrebna za zagotovitev dodatnih prostorov in opreme, in sredstva za nevladne in humanitarne organizacije. Z reorganizacijo strokovne službe Varuha v letu 2007 se je tako področju »Pravosodje« pridružilo še področje »Opcijski protokol«. V delo na tem področju je bilo na začetku vključno z vodjo področja imenovanih šest javnih uslužbencev, v letu 2014 pa je bilo za izvajanje nalog DPM določenih devet uslužbencev (vključno z namestnikom varuhinje, ki sicer te dejavnosti vodi). Vendar so ti uslužbenci še naprej opravljali tudi druge Varuhove naloge (predvsem obravnavanje individualnih pobud). To ima nekatere prednosti (npr. poznavanje problematike iz obravnavanja konkretnih pritožb oziroma pobud prizadetih oseb), pa tudi slabosti, zlasti v preobremenjenosti posameznih uslužbencev s preventivnimi obiski pri izvajanju nalog in pooblastil DPM na eni strani in številnimi pobudami, ki so jim dodeljene v reševanje, na drugi strani. Zato smo ob koncu leta 2014 sprejeli odločitev, da se v letu 2015 (kot poskusni enoletni projekt) ustanovi posebna enota DPM, ki ne bo obravnavala individualnih pobud, temveč bo opravljala le obiske in druge naloge DPM. V DPM enoti so poleg namestnika Ivana Šeliha, ki je vodja DPM, še Robert Gačnik, dipl. varstvoslovec, specialist kriminalističnega preiskovanja, Varuhov svetovalec – višji svetnik (zadolžen predvsem za obiske zaporov, policijskih postaj, centra za tujce in azilnega doma), mag. Jure Markič, Varuhov svetovalec – višji svetnik, univ. dipl. pravnik (zadolžen za obiske socialnovarstvenih zavodov in psihiatričnih bolnišnic) in Lili Jazbec, Varuhova svetovalka – svetnica, prof. defektologije za motnje vedenja in osebnosti in domske pedagogike (zadolžena za obiske vzgojnih zavodov in delno tudi za obiske socialnovarstvenih zavodov). Na osnovi izkušenj iz delovanja te enote bomo ob koncu leta 2015 oziroma ob začetku leta 2016 sprejeli tudi dokončno odločitev o ločenem delovanju te enote od siceršnjega delovanja Varuha. Tako smo poskusno za dobo enega leta popolnoma razdelili obe Varuhovi dejavnosti (preventivno, ki jo sestavljajo naloge DPM, in reaktivno, ki je obravnavanje prejetih individualnih pobud). Potrebo po taki ločitvi tudi sicer izrecno poudarja 32. točka Smernic o državnih preventivnih mehanizmih SPT6, sprejetih v Ženevi v novembru 2010. Ta določa, da kadar organ, določen za DPM, poleg nalog v skladu z opcijskim protokolom opravlja tudi druge naloge, se morajo naloge DPM opravljati v okviru ločene enote ali oddelka, ki ima svoje osebje in ločen proračun. Ugotavljamo, da bodo za to verjetno potrebne nekatere kadrovske okrepitve, vključno z dodatnimi finančnimi sredstvi, saj se že sedaj določen del finančnih obremenitev za izvajanje nalog in pooblastil DPM pokriva z Varuhovimi sredstvi. 8 Implementation of Duties and Powers of the National Preventive Mechanism in 2014 Preparations for assuming additional duties In 2006, the Ombudsman had already started to prepare for additional duties and powers according to the Optional Protocol and anticipated funds for additional staff, the provision of additional facilities and equipment, and non-governmental and humanitarian organisations. By reorganising the Ombudsman’s expert service in 2007, the field of Optional Protocol joined the field of Justice. Including the responsible official, six public employees were initially appointed to work in this field; in 2014, nine employees (including the Ombudsman Deputy managing these activities) were appointed to implement the tasks of the NPM. However, these staff also continued to perform other Ombudsman’s tasks (particularly discussing individual complaints). This has certain advantages (e.g. familiarisation with the issues when discussing concrete complaints by people affected) and also weaknesses, particularly overburdening of certain employees with preventive visits when implementing the tasks and powers of the NPM on the one hand and numerous complaints assigned for resolving on the other. It was thus decided at the end of 2014 that a special NPM unit would be established in 2015 (as a pilot one-year project) which will not discuss individual complaints but only conduct visits and other NPM duties. In addition to Deputy Ombudsman, Ivan Šelih, who is the head of the NPM, the unit also includes Robert Gačnik, BA in security, specialist in criminal investigation, the Ombudsman’s adviser/councillor (responsible particularly for visiting prisons, police stations, aliens and asylum centres), Jure Markič, MA, Ombudsman’s adviser/ senior councillor, BA in law (responsible for visiting social care institutions and psychiatric hospitals) and Lili Jazbec, Ombudsman’s adviser/councillor, professor of defectology for behavioural and personality disorders and institutional education science (responsible for visiting juvenile institutions and partly social care institutions). Based on this unit’s past work, we will be able to adopt a final decision on separate functioning of this unit and the Ombudsman’s regular activities at the end of 2015 or the beginning of 2016. Both Ombudsman’s activities (preventive, including NPM duties, and reactive, including examination of received individual complaints) were completely separated for a trial period of one year. The need for such separation is explicitly stipulated in Item 32 of the Guidelines on National Preventive Mechanisms (SPT)6 adopted in Geneva in November 2010, which determines that “where the body designated as the NPM performs other functions in addition to those under the Optional Protocol, its NPM functions should be located within a separate unit or department, with its own staff and budget”. We note that some reinforcement of the staff will be necessary, including additional financial means, since some of the funds earmarked for implementing the duties and powers of the NPM overlap with the Ombudsman’s funds. 5  Pravilnik je bil objavljen v Uradnem listu RS, št. 17/2008. V letu 2011 je bil ta pravilnik tudi delno spremenjen in dopolnjen – Uradni list RS, št. 20/2011. 5  The Rules were published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, no. 17/2008. The Rules were partly amended in 2011 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, no. 20/2011). 6  Dosegljivo na: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/OPCAT/Pages/NationalPreventiveMechanisms.aspx. 6  Available at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/OPCAT/Pages/NationalPreventiveMechanisms.aspx. poročilo o izvajanju nalog DPM v letu 2014 DržavnI preventivnI mehanizEm po Opcijskem protokolu h Konvenciji OZN proti mučenju in drugim krutim, nečloveškim ali poniževalnim kaznim ali ravnanju IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE NPM IN 2014 National Preventive Mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 9