Ombudsman

The following articles have been tagged with "Ombudsman":

'Every wasted krona amounts to theft'

Analysis & Opinion: 18 Mar 10
Recognizing frustration among a heavily taxed electorate, the Swedish Taxpayers Association has joined hands with the free-market think tank Timbro to appoint a special ombudsman to which citizens can report wasteful government spending. READ »

Ombudsman backs police on pepper spray at refugee wedding

National: 12 Mar 10
The Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman has ruled that there is no case to answer for the police officers who interrupted a wedding to arrest a 24-year-old groom at Malmö city hall, using pepper spray on him in the process. READ »

Job agency accepts 'Muslim handshake' fine

Society: 3 Mar 10
Sweden’s National Public Employment Agency (Arbetsförmedlingen) has decided not to appeal its fine for discriminating against a Muslim man who had his benefits withdrawn after refusing to shake the hand of a female CEO. READ »

Driver reported for kicking gay man off bus

Society: 2 Mar 10
The discrimination ombudsman (DO) has asked Stockholm local transport authority, SL, to adequately compensate a gay man after a bus driver ordered him to leave the bus. READ »

Police called in to calm bus stop tumult

National: 24 Feb 10
Police were called to a Stockholm bus terminal on Tuesday night as tempers flared among the 1,000 hard-hit travellers trying to get home as transport problems continued to afflict many areas of Sweden. READ »

Nightclub ordered to pay for ethnic discrimination

Society: 23 Feb 10
The Court of Appeal has ordered Elite Hotels to pay compensation to six men after finding that they were denied entry to a Stockholm nightclub due to their ethnicity. READ »

Swedish transport mayhem continues

National: 23 Feb 10
Hard-hit commuters can expect more of the same on Tuesday with snow causing delays, cancellations and limited services across the country. READ »

Moderates knew of election list fraud: report

National: 14 Feb 10
Highly placed leaders of the Moderate Party (Moderaterna) have known for weeks that electoral fraud was being committed within the local organization in Stockholm, according to a media report. READ »

Stockholm politician accused of election fraud

Politics: 13 Feb 10
A leading candidate for the Moderate Party (Moderaterna) in Stockholm was forced to stand down on Friday when he admitted to cheating to secure a nomination for this year's general election. READ »

'Parents should pay for their children's crimes'

National: 11 Feb 10
The Swedish government has announced that from September 1st parents will be made financially responsible for crimes committed by their children, in the face of stern criticism from several parties. READ »

Job agency fined for religious discrimination

Society: 8 Feb 10
Sweden’s National Public Employment Agency has been fined for discriminating against a Muslim man who had his benefits withdrawn after refusing to shake the hand of a female CEO. READ »

Social Insurance Agency 'too slow': report

Business & Money: 29 Jan 10
Sweden's justice ombudsman (JO) has levelled heavy criticism at the Social Insurance Agency for a string of perceived shortcomings. READ »

Bag lady Sahlin photo stirs moral debate

Politics: 23 Jan 10
Social Democrat party leader Mona Sahlin has stirred opinion pages without saying a word. Her morals have been questioned after she was pictured with political peers clutching a 6,000 kronor ($828) designer bag. READ »

Pornstar cap 'no attire for nursery worker'

National: 23 Jan 10
Headgear emblazoned with the label 'Pornstar' has cost a nursery worker his job after parents caught sight of the man wearing it on a Facebook photo. READ »

Burger King trades blows with regulator over headbutt advert

Society: 22 Jan 10
The Swedish advertising ombudsman has upheld a number of complaints about a Burger King TV advertisement showing one chef headbutting another in a cooking contest feud. READ »

Equality Ombudsman sued for discrimination

Business & Money: 20 Jan 10
An employee at an agency tasked with defending Sweden’s anti-discrimination laws has sued the organization for discrimination following disparaging comments by a supervisor. READ »

Swede slams English use for royal wedding bash

Society: 18 Jan 10
A slogan chosen by the city of Stockholm to promote events related to the June 2010 wedding of Crown Princess Victoria has been reported to the Ombudsmen of Justice for violating Sweden’s language laws. READ »

Swedish funding bodies: 'Apply in English'

Business & Money: 23 Dec 09
A number of Swedish organizations that provide research funding have petitioned the Swedish government to require potential recipients to submit their applications in English. READ »

Swedish firm settles over offensive job interview

Society: 25 Nov 09
A 56-year-old man from Gothenburg has been awarded 60,000 kronor ($8,600) in compensation after being asked an insulting question during an employment interview. READ »

Swedish town restricts 'immigrant weddings'

Society: 16 Nov 09
A local politician from Landskrona in southern Sweden has decreed that only one “immigrant wedding” can be held at the town’s local community centre every month. READ »

Women awarded damages for nightclub make-out session

Society: 4 Nov 09
Two women who were told to stop kissing by a guard at a popular Stockholm night club have had their damage award for discrimination upheld by the Supreme Court. READ »

Benefits agency guilty of gender discrimination

Business & Money: 3 Nov 09
Four women who were denied sick benefits during their pregnancies have won a landmark discrimination case against Sweden’s National Social Insurance agency (Försäkringskassan). READ »

Sweden to probe housing discrimination

Society: 15 Oct 09
Sweden’s Equality Ombudsman plans to launch a nationwide investigation into discrimination in Sweden’s housing market. READ »

Rejected women sue Swedish university

Education: 14 Oct 09
A group of women who are suing a Swedish university for gender discrimination have also reported Sweden’s Equality Ombudsman for refusing to take up their case. READ »

Porn shop internship costs Swedish man his job

National: 8 Oct 09
A man from Skellefteå in northern Sweden who lost his job as a personal care assistant because of a part-time internship at a local porn shop has accused his former employer of discrimination. READ »

Toys"R"Us scolded for gender discrimination

Society: 6 Oct 09
US-based toy retailer Toys"R"Us has been reprimanded for gender discrimination following a complaint filed by a group of Swedish sixth graders. READ »

Migration Board firing of pro- Israel blogger 'violated constitution'

National: 28 Sep 09
Sweden's Parliamentary Ombudsman has rapped the Migration Board over its controversial reassignment of Lennart Eriksson, an employee who had voiced pro-Israeli opinions on his personal blog. READ »

Swedish tabloid reported for racial agitation

National: 25 Aug 09
Swedish tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet has been reported to the Chancellor of Justice after publishing an article forwarding claims about the alleged organ harvesting of dead Palestinians by Israeli defence forces. READ »

Outspoken prosecutor taken off rape cases

National: 20 Aug 09
Swedish district prosecutor Rolf Hillegren, who was reported to the justice ombudsman for referring to some cases of rape as mere regulatory offences, will no longer work on sex crime cases, it has been announced. READ »

Prosecutor reported over rape comments

National: 17 Aug 09
Swedish district prosecutor Rolf Hillegren has been reported to the justice ombudsman for published comments in which he classified some categories of rape as mere regulatory offences. READ »

Probe into school's alleged Islamic veil discrimination

National: 7 Aug 09
The Swedish Equality Ombudsman has launched a probe into a case of alleged discrimination after two women who wear veils revealing only the eyes claim they were not allowed to attend adult education classes. READ »

Handball body fires referee for blogging

Sport: 5 Aug 09
Two former referees are taking the Swedish Handball Federation to court after being fired. One of the referees claims he was dismissed because he was gay, although handball officials say it was due to his personal blog. READ »

Government reported for English email use

Society: 29 Jul 09
The Swedish government has been reported to the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman for using English email addresses in an alleged violation of the country's language laws. READ »

Stockholm reported for using too much English

Society: 22 Jul 09
Stockholm's city council has been reported to the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO) for its widespread use of the English language. READ »

Troublesome kids locked in isolation cells

Society: 24 Jun 09
Solitary confinement is used as a form of punishment for children as young as 11-years-old by Sweden’s state-operated centres for troubled youth, a new investigation has revealed. READ »

Overweight inmate seeks damages for svelte fatigues

Society: 25 May 09
An inmate at Karlskrona prison in southern Sweden has applied for damages after the prisons service was unable to provide adequate attire to cover his considerable frame. READ »

Swedish court okays higher rent for refugees

Society: 22 May 09
A Swedish court has ruled that a landlord’s decision to charge higher rent to a refugee family does not qualify as discrimination. READ »

Porn king reports police over crime gang sting

National: 7 May 09
Swedish porn baron Berth Milton has filed a complaint accusing police of using him in a sting operation targeting one of Sweden’s most dangerous criminal gangs without his knowledge. READ »

Transsexual granted right to change name to Immanuel

National: 9 Apr 09
The Swedish administrative court of appeals has granted a 28-year-old Sandviken transsexual the right to be called Immanuel, overturning a decision by the Swedish Tax Agency that the male moniker was unsuitable for a woman. READ »

Ryanair forced to pay damages in Sweden

Business & Money: 23 Mar 09
Low-cost airline Ryanair has been ordered by a Swedish court to compensate a couple from Linköping for costs incurred returning home after their flight from Brussels was canceled at the last minute. READ »

'Psychotic' art student could face jail

Society: 16 Mar 09
A Stockholm-based art student is suspected of four criminal offences after feigning mental illness in order to gain admission to a psychiatric hospital. READ »

Swedish parliament passes copyright bill

Politics: 25 Feb 09
As expected, the Riksdag passed a controversial new measure on Wednesday designed to make it easier to investigate suspected cases of illegal file sharing. READ »

What’s in a name: crime suspects and the Swedish press

Analysis & Opinion: 23 Feb 09
The Local’s David Landes attempts to shed some light on the Swedish media’s sometimes peculiar practice of omitting the names of criminal suspects. READ »

No ethnic bias in Sweden: Labour Court

Society: 19 Feb 09
Sweden’s Ombudsman for Ethnic Discrimination hasn’t won a single case before the country’s labour court since 2003. READ »

Muslim woman sues college over veil ban

Society: 12 Feb 09
A Stockholm woman has reported an adult education college in Spånga to the Equality Ombudsman (DO) after being told that she could not wear an Islamic headscarf in class. READ »

Garbage workers call off strike

National: 10 Feb 09
The strike by Stockholm garbage workers which began on Friday is over. Both sides claimed victory after workers returned to work on Tuesday. READ »

Q-Med's beauty blogger offer 'illegal': agency

Society: 6 Feb 09
Q-Med, the company that offered free beauty enhancement treatments to Swedish female bloggers, has broken the country’s marketing laws, according to the consumer ombudsman. READ »

Sales force told to use 'Swedish' names

Society: 30 Jan 09
Employees with foreign backgrounds working for a telemarketing company in Jönköping in central Sweden claim management encouraged them to change their names in order to increase sales. READ »

Women only gym zones 'not discriminatory'

Society: 8 Jan 09
Sweden's Equal Opportunities Ombudsman has ruled against a man from Malmö who disputed the right of a local gym to reserve a section for women only. READ »

Borg best in popularity stakes

Politics: 30 Dec 08
Swedish finance minister Anders Borg is ranked highly by his party colleagues with a 71 percent approval rating. Defence minister Sten Tolgfors meanwhile has the backing of only 3 percent of his peers. READ »

Sex offender website under investigation

National: 15 Dec 08
Swedish authorities are investigating a website for possible violations of the country’s privacy laws after it published the names, personal identity numbers, addresses, of several convicted sex offenders. READ »

Student receives damages for headscarf slight

Society: 13 Dec 08
A student at a Landskrona secondary school in southern Sweden has been awarded damages for being told not to wear an Islamic headscarf. READ »

Sweden tops child welfare ranking

Society: 12 Dec 08
When it comes to caring for children, Sweden ranks highest among the world’s wealthy countries, according to a new report from the United Nations children’s organization, Unicef. READ »

Dutch woman barred from borrowing books

Society: 11 Dec 08
A Stockholm-area library is facing a discrimination lawsuit for refusing to let a Dutch woman check out more than two books because she wasn't Swedish. READ »

Ombudsmen critical of racist school book

Education: 27 Nov 08
Two Swedish ombudsman offices have added their voices to the chorus of criticism about a school book accused of having racist and sexist contents, but are powerless to do anything about it. READ »

School handed dunce's cap over birthday invitation saga

Education: 13 Nov 08
A primary school in southern Sweden has been given a stern talking to by parliament for confiscating an eight-year-old's birthday invitations after he failed to invite everybody in his class. READ »

Report faults Sweden for discrimination

National: 7 Nov 08
Swedish minorities face widespread discrimination including a lack of education in their mother tongues, Sweden's ombudsman against ethnic discrimination said on Friday. READ »

Damages 'too low' after vacuum cleaner attack on schoolboy

Education: 27 Oct 08
A pupil in eastern Sweden has been awarded 5,000 kronor ($600) in damages after a teacher attacked him with an industrial vacuum cleaner. READ »

Romeo foxtrot victor over Juliet

Society: 9 Oct 08
Sweden's Equal Opportunities Ombudsman has ruled against a woman who accused a dance school of discrimination when it refused to allow her to take the lead while learning the foxtrot. READ »

Swedish sport 'ignoring gender equality laws'

Sport: 6 Oct 08
Athletics in Sweden fail to live up to demands set by the country’s laws on gender equality, according to an investigation by the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman. READ »

Sahlin calls for privacy ombudsman

Politics: 3 Oct 08
The Social Democrats want to create an ombudsman to help protect individuals’ privacy in Sweden, party leader Mona Sahlin told Sveriges Radio. READ »

Court lowers award to Malmö night club discrimination victims

National: 1 Oct 08
Sweden’s Supreme Court has reduced the compensation to be paid to four men who were discriminated by a Malmö night club. READ »

Arboga autopsy photos on The Pirate Bay

National: 5 Sep 08
File sharing site The Pirate Bay is under fire for not reacting after autopsy pictures of the two toddlers murdered in Arboga last spring were uploaded onto site. READ »

Police reported for pepper spraying epileptic

National: 5 Sep 08
A woman who was doused with pepper spray while suffering an epileptic seizure has reported police from Växjö in south central Sweden to Ombudsmen of Justice (JO) for their handling of the incident. READ »

Swedish lesbian couple sues over fertility treatment rules

Society: 2 Sep 08
The ombudsman against discrimination due to sexual orientation (HomO) is taking the case of a lesbian couple from northern Sweden who claim they don’t have equal access to artificial insemination procedures. READ »

Ombudsman sues firm over Muslim woman's firing

Society: 1 Sep 08
Sweden’s ombudsman for ethnic discrimination (DO) has sued a cleaning company after it dismissed a Muslim woman for not dressing appropriately on the job. READ »

Ahmad and James on Swedish bank's blacklist

Society: 26 Aug 08
Swedish bank Skandiabanken has come under fire for a blacklist that prevents customers with Arabic-sounding names from using routine banking services. READ »

Pedestrian signal boxes' religious message upsets non-believers

Society: 22 Aug 08
News that signal boxes located at pedestrian crossings are designed to spread the word of God has angered the designer who drew the pointing finger symbol for the boxes' Swedish manufacturer. READ »

Officials investigate birthday party invite debacle

Society: 21 Aug 08
A local council in southern Sweden has defended a local school's policy on children's birthday party invitations after the matter was taken up by the justice ombudsman. READ »

Swedish pharmacies' sex toys 'discriminate against men'

Society: 11 Aug 08
Swedish state-run pharmacy Apoteket has been reported to the Swedish Equal Opportunities Ombudsman agency JämO for only selling sex toys suitable for women, thus apparently discriminating against men. READ »

Lars Danielsson appointed as Hong Kong consul

National: 7 Aug 08
The government has appointed former under-Secretary of State to Göran Persson, Lars Danielsson, as Sweden's consul-general to Hong Kong and Macau. The Social Democrats have accused foreign minister Carl Bildt of engaging in a personal vendetta. READ »