Within the monitoring of the regional bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Special Preventive Group held eight meetings with local lawyers and representatives of NGOs working on criminal cases in various regions of Georgia.9 The meetings aimed at obtaining additional information regarding the situation in terms of protection of detained persons from torture and other ill-treatment. At the same time, the representatives of the Public Defender’s Office introduced the mandate and the field of activities to the participants of the meetings. 1.6.1. DIALOGUE WITH PUBLIC AUTHORITIES The NPM pays particular attention to active communication and constructive dialogue with relevant public authorities. The appointment of a responsible person10 in 2018 served this very purpose of observing the fulfilment of the NPM recommendations. In the reporting period, meetings were held individually and within various working groups. Numerous meetings were held with the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, the Minister of Corrections, the Minister of Justice and the representatives of the aforementioned ministries regarding specific problems and activities to be carried out for implementing concrete recommendations of the Public Defender. We welcome the practice of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to supply various data to us in a timely manner as well as the ministry’s readiness to maintain a constructive dialogue with the Public Defender’s Office. In the reporting period, numerous meetings were held, during which we discussed the matter of the implementation of the Public Defender’s recommendations. It is regrettable that, despite good cooperation of the past few years with the Penitentiary System, 2018 was not the best in terms of active cooperation. On many occasions, the NPM was not provided in a timely manner or was not provided with materials and information necessary for the discharge of its mandate. This amounted to the failure to comply with the Public Defender’s legal requests and constituted the ground for the imposition of a fine.11 The Public Defender hopes that this practice will change for the better and the active cooperation based on dialogue with the ministry will be restored. On 5 March 2018, the Public Defender of Georgia and the NPM representatives visited the psychiatric clinic in Surami. The Public Defender evaluated the existing situation as inhuman and degrading treatment of patients and called upon the state to take prompt measures to improve the patients’ conditions. As a result, a working group was set up in the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health, and Social Affairs of Georgia, within which repair works were planned and carried out in Surami psychiatric clinic. In the reporting period, a meeting was held, under the auspices of the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), with the participation of representatives of the NPM and the Ministry of Internal 9 Samegrelo, Kakheti, Imereti, Shida Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Ajara, and Guria. Deputy Head of the National Preventive Mechanism (Department) of the Public Defender’s Office. 11 The Coder of Administrative Violations of Georgia, Article 1734. 10 8