-78. In addition to plenary sessions, there were numerous meetings of visiting delegations throughout the year, both on the occasion, and independently, of plenary sessions. Such meetings concern the pre-visit (preparation of the visit) or post-visit (discussion of the draft visit report; preparation of observations on the Party's interim or follow-up report) stages. Indeed, for many Committee members (in particular heads of delegation), their tasks in visiting delegations are just as time-consuming - if not more so - as their work at plenary session level. c. Public statement on Turkey 9. On 15 December 1992 the CPT had recourse to the power granted to it by Article 10, paragraph 2, of the Convention and adopted a public statement on Turkey (cf. Appendix 4). The statement was issued on 21 December 1992; an embargoed copy was circulated to Permanent Representatives of member States of the Council of Europe on 18 December 1992. This was the first occasion on which the provisions of Article 10, paragraph 2, had been resorted to by the Committee. 10. The CPT had decided at its 14th meeting (28 September to 2 October 1992) to set in motion the procedure under Article 10, paragraph 2, following a review of the action taken by the Turkish authorities upon the recommendations made by the Committee in the reports on its ad hoc visits to Turkey in 1990 and 1991. The Turkish authorities were informed of the conclusion reached by the CPT and, in accordance with the Convention, invited to make known their views. Those views were received on 16 November 1992. The CPT examined the views presented by the Turkish authorities at its 15th meeting, held from 14 to 17 December 1992; on the same occasion, the Committee considered the facts found by the delegation which carried out the periodic visit to Turkey in November/December 1992. By the required majority of two-thirds of its members, the Committee decided to make a public statement. 11. In its statement the CPT concludes, in the light of all the information at its disposal, that the practice of torture and other forms of severe ill-treatment of persons in police custody remains widespread in Turkey and that such methods are applied to both ordinary criminal suspects and persons held under anti-terrorism provisions. The CPT goes on to set out the different types of action which it considers necessary to deal with this problem. 12. The CPT wishes to reiterate that the public statement was made in a constructive spirit. It is hoped that it will facilitate the efforts of the Turkish authorities and the CPT - acting in co-operation - to strengthen the protection of persons deprived of their liberty from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.