npm annual report 2016 / to the reader TO THE READER The Parliamentary Ombudsman has acted as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) for two full years. The activities have been discussed in separate sections of the Ombudsman’s annual reports for 2015 and 2016. These overviews are complemented by the present report, published in English, on the activities of the NPM in 2016. In Finland, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has a strong mandate in matters concerning fundamental and human rights, and the Ombudsman is part of Finland’s National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) established according to the Paris Principles. Inspection visits to closed institutions have been one of the Ombudsman’s special tasks even before receiving the NPM mandate. However, oversight of the treatment of people deprived of their liberty has further diversified under the OPCAT. Oversight of legality has been complemented with a preventive approach and constructive dialogue with public authorities and the staff of institutions. These elements have been present in the Ombudsman’s inspection visits long before NPM duties, but the new mandate has further emphasised their importance. Visits and the related activities are an effective tool and a central area of focus for the Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The use of external experts on visits has expanded the NPM’s expertise, helped view issues from various viewpoints and diversified dialogue. International cooperation and training activities have also increased substantially. Petri Jääskeläinen Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland Iisa Suhonen OPCAT Coordinator, Senior Legal Advisor 3