Any complaints submitted by PDLs are acted upon by a special Department for Protection of PDLs at which there are three (3) employees. The Department is managed by the Deputy Protector of Citizens in charge of protection of PDLs’ rights. In case it is established, during the course of the implemented procedure, that there were certain shortcomings in the activities of an administrative body, the Protector of Citizens will address a recommendation to the body concerned to remove the identified shortcoming. The Protector of Citizens has addressed to the competent authorities around 40 recommendations to remove identified deficiencies in the activities of the institutions holding PDLs. The procedures for the control of legality and regularity of the work of administrative bodies initiated in response to the complaints lodged by citizens or on own initiative are administered by the Deputy Protector of Citizens in charge of protection of PDLs’ rights. Promotion and pro-active work The Protector of Citizens looks after the promotion of citizens’ rights, has the right to act preventively, by providing good offices, mediation and advice on issues from his preview, in order to enhance the work of administrative bodies and promote protection of human rights and liberties. In order to promote and safeguard the rights of PDLs as well as to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment the Protector of Citizens set up the “Preventive Mechanism of the Protector of Citizens” on 2 July 2009, as a team of the Protector of Citizens (set up) to monitor the institutions where PDLs are held. The “Preventive Mechanism of the Protector of Citizens” has for as long as two years been persistently and systematically gathering, checking and processing all data concerning the protection of PDLs’ rights. In order to work efficiently, the Methodology of the “Preventive Mechanism of the Protector of Citizens” was established specifying how to act before, during the course and after a visit to the institutions where PDLs are held. Apart from the employees with the Protector of Citizens, the “Preventive Mechanism of the Protector of Citizens” includes, as its members, experts, primarily lawyers, physicians-forensic experts, psychiatrists and psychologists. The “Preventive Mechanism of the Protector of Citizens” has to date completed around 50 visits to the institutions at which PDLs are held and drawn up reports suggesting over 200 actions to take in order to eliminate the identified shortcomings. The activities and duties of the “Preventive Mechanism of the Protector of Citizens” for monitoring the institutions at which PDLs are held were administered by the Deputy Protector of Citizens in charge of protection of the rights of PDLs. The “Preventive Mechanism of the Protector of Citizens” ceased its activities after the Protector of Citizens was designated as the NPM.