As was reported by Vasili Kalko during a Supreme Council session, the amount of workers' salary arrears had been increasing every year. According to him, last year it had increased by 2 million USD.
«Among salary debtors are the enterprises which work on a regular basis in two or even three shifts, ship the production, but it is unclear where the proceeds from the sale go. Every time their management says: 'We have no funds'," said the ombudsman.
He also focused on the necessity of issuing passports to the persons serving a prison sentence who have no identification documents. «There are 140 persons in prison now who do not have passports," said Vasili Kalko.
Other unsolved problems are issuing passports to non-registered citizens and receiving registration by those who do not have a passport. Citizens face difficulties due to the lack of required standards which may resolve the problem.
«The citizens have lived without a passport for decades because they cannot receive it without being registered, and they cannot get registered without having a passport. It is necessary to break this vicious circle," said Vasili Kalko.
To address this issue, the commissioner is planning to meet with migration department authorities.
The ombudsmen also touched upon a problem in the penal correction system: «The court makes quite opposite decisions on early parole in similar cases. The Supreme Council must finally define the universal criteria for the parole system.»
The commissioner pointed out in his report that his office had received 1201 complaints from citizens last year, which is 300 as few as in 2013.
The ombudsmen received 333 complaints concerning the violation of civil rights. This is followed by complaints of social rights violation — 295 and economic rights violation — 272. 258 complaints touched upon the subject of the realisation of citizens' right for judicial protection, fair trial, legal assistance and prompt enforcement of court judgements. Personal rights issues were raised in 54 complaints.
At the same time, the last year saw a considerable increase in complaints from foreign citizens: 84 complaints against 45 in 2013.
As before, it is the vulnerable groups of citizens who most frequently seek help. Thus, in 2014 the human rights commissioner examined 345 complaints from pensioners and disabled persons; 194 complaints from the unemployed; 114 complaints from convicts, persons under investigation, the accused and their relatives.
