The Speaker of the Parliament, Ms Anita Demetriou held a meeting with the Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights, Ms Maria Stylianou Lottidou, today, 3 February 2022, during which the Commissioner handed over to the President of the Parliament, as provided by the relevant legislation, the Annual Report on the exercise of her powers for the year 2020.
During the meeting, the Commissioner gave a comprehensive analysis of the work carried out by her Office with particular reference to its additional status as the National Human Rights Authority in Cyprus. She also submitted individual reports for the year 2020 as to other responsibilities entrusted to her under specific legislation, namely her status as an Equality and Anti-Discrimination Body acting on her own initiative or following a complaint, as the National Body for the Prevention of Torture, as the National Mechanism for Monitoring the Forced Return of Irregularly Residing Foreigners and, finally, as the Independent Mechanism for the Promotion, Protection and Monitoring of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
During the meeting, both sides stressed the importance of the institution which the Commissioner serves, in the context of her institutional obligation to safeguard the principle of legality and the rule of law, as well as the protection of human rights. In this regard, it was pointed out that both the Commissioner and the House of Representatives, as a distinct power, make a decisive contribution to achieving a balance in the context of scrutiny of the acts and omissions of the Executive.
For her part, the Speaker of the House of Representatives praised the importance of the institution, as well as the work carried out by the Commissioner, who, as she stressed, is a model of a woman official with her commitment to ensuring the rule of law and the protection of citizens' rights. She also referred to the importance of the Commissioner's annual general and special reports as useful tools capable of contributing to a deeper understanding of important aspects of issues of major importance to society. The ultimate goal is to undertake appropriate legislative initiatives as well as joint horizontal actions to raise awareness in society on key issues such as the protection of human rights, equality, anti-discrimination and information on the rights of persons with disabilities, objectives on which both sides committed themselves to work together towards their implementation.
(BG/EXP)
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