In 2019 the representatives of the NMPT participated, among other things, in a meeting concerning enhanced independence of national mechanisms monitoring deportation flights, in meetings of the Nafplion Group, in international 10-year anniversary of the Georgian preventive mechanism, in workshop sessions devoted to ensuring effective implementation of guarantees related to initial hours post apprehension in police pre-trial detention units combined with the 30-year anniversary of the European Committee on the Prevention of Torture as well as in the meeting of national preventive mechanisms devoted to the monitoring of persons constituting a sensitive group in detention, in the International Rehabilitation Congress and the meetings referring to the issue of deportation monitoring in EU member states. The director of the NMPT also participated in round table discussions organized as part of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture by the Belarusian non-governmental organization Legal Initiative in Minsk. Furthermore, as has already been mentioned, on 26 April an international expert panel was held in the Office of the CHR. It was financed by the Council of Europe and organized under the social campaign State without torture. The panel which was entitled Homo Homini Lupus est was devoted to the problems of persons with the PTSD residing in centres for migrants. The conference was attended by the representatives of the national and international non-governmental organizations that work with individuals in trauma, preventive mechanism from the Czech Republic and Greece as well as the Border Guard and the judiciary. CAT SESSION AND CONCLUDING REMARKS In the period 22-24 July in Geneva the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) was examining the periodic report on Poland’s implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The alternative report to the report has been prepared by the Commissioner for Human Rights17. During the 67th CAT session the Commissioner’s remarks were presented by the deputy CHR Hanna Machińska, Ph.D. and Marcin Mrowicki, lawyer from the Criminal Law Team at the Office of the CHR. On 9 August 2019 the CAT adopted the concluding observations concerning Poland’s report on the implementation of the provisions of the Convention in which it presented numerous remarks and reservations. First and foremost, the Committee pointed out that the Polish Criminal Code lacks a separate crime of torture, which in its view, results in the fact that not all components of conduct that constitutes torture are subject to penalization. The Committee expressed concern that even though the Convention as such may be used a source of generally applicable law, so far it has only been referred to once – in the judgement of the District Court in Lublin in 2018. Furthermore, the CAT was critical of the meaning of Article 168a of the Code of Criminal Procedure which provides for the admissibility of evidence obtained by virtue of torture in criminal proceedings. The Committee also commented on the recent amendment of the Criminal Code which was adopted by the Sejm 17 20 Cf. https://www.rpo.gov.pl/pl/content/komitet-onz-bada-wykonanie-przez-Polske-konwencji-w-sprawie-zakazu-tortur. PART II – How does the nmpt work?