The working group, chaired by the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel and Their Families, Olha Reshetylova (Kobylynska), continued drafting a law on the military ombudsman. Its general framework was previously developed by the Central Department for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemembers of the Ministry of Defense.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Office of the President, the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and civil society organizations.
“There is a shared position among the public, the Ministry of Defense and the President that the Office of the Military Ombudsman should be a separate institution with appropriate powers that will allow it to effectively protect the rights of military personnel and rights and freedoms within the security and defense sector in general,” Olha Reshetylova said.
The working group discussed the status and powers of the future Military Ombudsman and their office, subordination and interaction with other state bodies. They also considered a proposal to establish Military Ombudsman offices within all branches of the Security and Defense Forces.
Representatives of civil society organizations also recommended creating distinct mechanisms for the appointing the Military Ombudsman during martial law and in peacetime, along with defining clear procedures for processing complaints.
The members of the working group agreed to work through all the proposals and discuss them at their meeting next week.