15 1. THE ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND HIS DEPUTIES IN 2019 scientific study of issues related to the protection of human rights and civil interests, the Institute plays an active role in the enforcement of social, cultural and economic rights, in providing support South-East Europe (SEE) NPM Network for the activities of local, regional, and national Ombudsmen, and in the European cooperation of Ombudsmen. 1.5. I THE OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS MOVES TO NEW HEADQUARTERS National Preventive Mechanism n spring 2020, the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) Rights will move to a new, state-of-the-art facility satisfying 21st-century standards – a building that will effectively meet the requirements for an environment enabling the performance of the increased quantity of changed tasks that the Office encounters European Committee for the Prevention of Torture ... (CPT) in the domain of the protection of fundamental rights. The listed monument that had been used by the institution ever since its foundation could no longer accommodate for the challenges of the 21st century; this is why the Office moved to temporary premises in June 2019. Until the new facility, refurbished according to the needs formulated by the Office, is completed in May 2020, our Office has temporarily moved to an office complex situated in one of the themselves with the activities of the NPM in the broadest possible hotspots of Budapest. The latter can be easily accessed by public international realm. Cooperation has been continuous with the transportation as it is located in the proximity of tramway and bus UN’s Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), the South- stops, and train stations. Despite the moves, the Office has been able East Europe NPM Network (SEE), the European Committee for to process citizens’ complaints without interruption, and it has con- the Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading tinued to perform its tasks in the protection of human rights on the Treatment or Punishment (CPT) of the Council of Europe, as well usual professional level and with uncompromised expertise. as with the other NPMs. The representatives of the Office were also 1.6. S present at the ceremony organised on the occasion of the 30th an- THE COMMISSIONER AS AN OPCAT NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM niversary of the CPT’s existence. In 2019, the staff members of the OPCAT NPM Department, accompanied by physicians and dietitians acting as external experts, visited altogether ten places of detention on seven occasions imilarly to the previous years, in 2019, the Commissioner (see table at the bottom of the page). followed a highly dynamic international agenda when acting In the selection process of the places to be visited, in ad- as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). The Commissioner dition to the proposal of the Civil Consultative Body and the for Fundamental Rights and his staff participated in internation- types of the places of detention, the geographical location of the al conferences, trainings, and research projects of our partner institutions and the number of the detainees were also taken institutions, and they took every opportunity to better acquaint into consideration. Moreover, when preparing the annual visit Location visited Date Number of facilities visited 1. Bács-Kiskun County Remand Prison 27–28 February 2019 1 2. Baracska Facility of the Central Transdanubian National Prison 24–25 April 2019 1 3. EMMI’s (Ministry of Human Capacities) Special Children���s Home Centre, Primary School and Trade School 4–5 September 2019 1 4. Custodial premises of the Police Department of Békéscsaba, the Police Department of Békés, the Police Department of Sarkad, and the Police Department of Orosháza 8–10 October 2019 4 5. Platán Integrated Care Centre of Bács-Kiskun County (follow-up inquiry) 21–22 October 2019 1 6. Tiszalök National Prison 3–4 December 2019 1 7. Weekly countrywide transport on the premises of the Budapest Strict and Medium Security Prison 9–10 December 2019 1 Table 2