Human Rights Ombudsman’s Report in 2024: Most complaints from the passport problem, the number of environmental complaints increases

Most of the complaints submitted to the Ombudsman last year (408 or 15.08 percent) were in the field of CSOs, where most injuries were reported, especially with the issuance of passports that was a problem for Macedonian citizens in the first half of 2024.

-This problem has so far thousands of citizens who have submitted complaints on a different basis -the inability to schedule a term for photography, slow -making and approval of travel documents, prolonged delivery of already prepared documents and the like. The inability to get a travel document was the reason for a breach of a series of rights- freedom of movement, professional development, health care outside the country, participating in sports and other international events- said Ombudsman Nasser Ziberi today at a news conference presenting the annual report on the level of security and protection.

Citizens in 2024 complained of complaints and violations of labor rights, as well as in the field of urban planning and construction, and the problem of high invoices for consumed electricity was most pronounced.

Ziberi noted that the environment « has a significant step forward » – both in terms of the number of complaints submitted, and in the diversity of the sub -closure of the Ombudsman.

-Citizens have begun to file complaints for all areas of the environment, not just for noise, practice known over the years. So we received complaints about air pollution, water and soil. The Ombudsman forms an object on its own initiative, primarily for air pollution in 15 municipalities whose cities top the list of the most polluted cities in Europe and the world. The answers received that all municipalities are taking measures to tackle polluted air, although reality does not confirm it. Therefore, this 2025, in cooperation with the NGOs, with which we signed a memorandum, will work again on this topic- Ziberi said at a news conference.

Last year, the Ombudsman received a number of complaints from citizens who became, as he said, « victims of legal labyrinths and legal ambiguity » after the Parliament passed the amendments to the laws on obligations and enforcement, and the courts and enforcement agents refused to conduct them in practice.

« I think that enforcement agents must consistently apply the legal provisions related to the amount of interest and the permitted amount of the seizure of citizens’ funds (one-third or one fifth of a salary or pension), as well as the part of the exemption from execution, » said Ziberi.

The Ombudsman appealed the competent institutions as soon as possible with an appropriate law « to fill the legal gap created by the Court by abolishing the provisions of several laws and bylaws, which concerned the employment of non -majority backs or the well -known balancers ».

-In a system in which one of the fundamental values ​​of the constitutional order is the principle of appropriate and equitable representation, there must be no gap in relation to them. The announced legal solution must be adopted, which will create prerequisites for the institutions to employ members of all communities living in the Republic of Northern Macedonia – said Ziberi.

In the extensive report on violated rights in 2024, complaints have been recorded due to problem enrollment in parent records and the so-called. Phantoms ie persons without a personal number and the opportunity for personal documents.

– Despite the legislative changes, it seems that there is room for promotion in this part, because this 2025 we also record complaints, and this indicates that if you are not accountable, we will again get a large number of persons without a parent number- the Ombudsman said.

As he said, « who knows which way » repeats the statement of inhumane conditions in prisons that are overcrowded with convicts who sleep « on shifts » and in corridors, live in « very low levels » hygiene and without health care because there are no medical staff or psychiatrists, as well as prisoners. All this, Ziberi said, leads to their mutual calculations that puts employees at risk.

The process of resocialization in place, Ziberi added, just like the right to education. He pointed out that the protégés of the VPD « Tetovo » have been left without education for years. He also pointed out that despite the appropriate legislative changes in this WPD to create prerequisites for accommodation and women’s protégés, they still said, remain housed in an inappropriate room in Idrizovo Prison.

« No positive shifts, » the ombudsman said, there are no actions before the administrative courts, although the new law on administrative disputes « announced the opposite ». The problem of communication, ie the submission of cases and records between the courts and the state administration bodies, has not been overcome.

-In the judiciary, I can generally say that we even have a backward and for example I will take the Court of Appeal in Stip, which is unable to respect the deadlines for appeals, because there is not a sufficient number of judges. This court, by March 2024, had only four of the required 16 judges, of which only one judge in the civil department. Therefore, in this court it was not possible for a civil council to decide on appeals for a long period of time. All of this led to this court to have an enormous number of backward cases, about 2000 from previous years- said Ziberi.

According to him, administrative courts should make meritorious decisions, « that is, judgments in full jurisdiction, and only in exceptional cases to return the cases to re -examine the state administration bodies. »

« In addition, to amend the Law on Administrative Disputes, so that the court cannot make decisions without the case files because such a way of working is exclusively to the detriment of the citizens, » Ziberi added.

At a news conference, he also pointed to other violations of citizens’ rights for last year-the inability of citizens who worked in Italy to have a retirement because the bilateral pension and social security agreement was not ratified, complaints that last year in some nursing homes in the country were denied their right to vote in the country. Educational assistant because the Law on Secondary Education was not adopted, as well as the alertness of students with hearing impairment to attend adjacent teaching in the specialized school « Partenija Zografski » because many teachers do not know the sign language.

In terms of the child’s rights, Ziberi stressed the problem of begging children and are out of the education system and urged « the state to find a systemic solution to protect these children and remove the streets ».

In the reporting 2024, the Ombudsman acted after 3148 complaints, of which 443 cases were transferred from the previous year. Of the 2705 complaints registered in 2024, in most complaints (1006 or 37.19 percent) Citizens complained of violations of their rights by public services and institutions, 859 complaints (or 31.76 percent) concerned a violation of central government rights, 276 complaints – in violation of the rights of 185 They complained of a violation of rights, both from the central and local government, and in 114 complaints complaining about a violation of rights from other entities.

The extensive and detailed annual report on respect and realization of the guaranteed rights of the citizens in 2024, the Ombudsman submitted to the Parliament on March 27.