Chief ombudsman to begin working March 29

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

The country’s first ever chief ombudsman, Mehmet Nihat Ömeroğlu, will begin actively working in his post March 29, after taking his oath in early December.

During a courtesy visit to EU Minister Egemen Bağış on March 5, Ömeroğlu told reporters he would start receiving complainants’ petitions as of March 29.

“Administration under daylight” is how Ömeroğlu described the function of the Office of the Ombudsman.

“As a result of examinations and investigations to be conducted by this institution, transparency and respect for the individual will be dominant in the public administration,” Ömeroğlu said.

Ömeroğlu’s election led to a public outcry because of his role in the conviction of late journalist Hrant Dink.

Ömeroğlu was among the judges in the Supreme Court of Appeals, Turkey’s highest court, who in 2006 upheld the conviction of Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink for “insulting Turkishness” under notorious Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.