ANNUAL SPECIAL REPORT 2017 9 The unwavering objective of the Ombudsman's National Prevention Mechanism is the complete, thorough and comprehensive recording of detention conditions in the country and the provision of appropriate recommendations for their improvement in order to meet the requirements of a state governed by the rule of law, fully in line with the imperatives of the legal-political civilisation of the 21st century. The preparation of the compilation and publicity of this report was marked by the early loss of Professor Vasilis Karydis, a former deputy Ombudsman and member of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT); the first coordinator of the Ombudsman's National Prevention Mechanism, the man who, through his action in the Independent Authority, in the academic community, in international organizations and as a practicing lawyer, fought as much as anyone else to protect the fundamental rights of all those in deprivation of their freedoms; a personality that deeply affected everyone who had the privilege of working with him. This report is dedicated to his memory, as a token of appreciation and recognition of his unsurpassed contribution to the defense and protection of fundamental rights in our country. ● ——Andreas I. Pottakis The Greek Ombudsman