2.9. Test Visit For the purpose of evaluating the existing methodologies for conducting prison visits, the Protector of Citizens carried out a test visit to pavilion VII located at Penal Correctional Institutions in Pozerevac – Zabela. The team, led by Deputy Ombudsman for the protection of rights of PDLs, comprised of the employees in the Expert Services of the Protector of Citizens, one psychiatrist and two forensic doctors as well as the representative of the NGO Helsinki Committee for human rights in Serbia. The purpose of the visit was to establish the presence of torture. The visit has not been pre-announced and upon arrival to the pavilion VII the prison staff was told to keep prisoners within the prison premises and not to enter prison cells if not accompanied by our team members. Members of the monitoring team divided into three groups carried out visits to all 90 cells, as well as to all other premises within the pavilion. Doctors who were in the team conducted brief unsupervised interviews with all of the 220 prisoners individually, with a view to obtaining information whether they (the prisoners) have in the past six months been subjected to torture or any other form of abuse. The prisoners who claimed to have suffered bodily injuries were examined then and there by the forensic doctors and their injuries were photographed. 3. CONCLUSION The Protector of Citizens has in the last six months of 2011, after being designated by the Law to act as NPM, used his competences solely for the purposes of conducting all necessary preparatory work in order to create conditions for eficient performance of duties of NPM. We are convinced that the established structure and methodology of this very complex model of Serbian NPM, which includes the engagement of the Protector of Citizens and the Provincial Ombudsman and NGOs as well, shall enable efficient work of NPM starting from the beginning of 2012. DEPUTY OMBUDSMAN Miloš Janković

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