ANNUAL REPORT OF NPM 2019 _______________________________________________________________________________________ Ombudsperson's Foreword Since my appointment in the position of the Ombudsperson of Republic of Kosovo, this year as previous ones, my pleasure is introducing to you the following Annual Report of the National Preventive Mechanism of Torture (NPM). The Law no. 05 / L-019 on the Ombudsperson, which entered into force on 26 June 2015 stipulates that the Ombudsperson acts as a National Preventive Mechanism of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The NPM was instituted in accordance with the provisions of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which is a part of the legal and constitutional system of the Republic of Kosovo and prevails, in case of conflict, over provisions and laws and other acts of public institutions. The main purpose of the given Protocol is to establish a system of regular visits, carried out by independent international and national bodies, to places where persons deprived of their liberty are placed, aimed at preventing torture and other degrading and inhuman treatment and punishment. In addition, this Protocol stipulates that the NPM shall be a multidisciplinary team composed of professionals in different fields, such as legal officers, doctors, psychologists, etc. NPM’s present composition is in full compliance with the provisions of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and the Law on the Ombudsperson. Regular and unannounced visits to all places where persons deprived of their liberty are held, including police detention, detention on remand, stay in health facilities, customs detention, detention in immigration centers and any other places where suspects of violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms is likely to happen, are NPM liabilities determined by the Law on the Ombudsperson. During the reporting period, the NPM accomplished 86 visits to places where persons deprived of their liberty are held, the team published 13 Reports with Recommendations while 75 recommendations have been delivered to responsible authorities of the Republic of Kosovo, with the aim to improve situation of human rights of persons deprived of their liberty. It is my pleasure to disclose to you the fact that none of NPM’s recommendation provided was rejected by authorities to whom they were addressed, on the contrary, very constructive cooperation and dialogue even during this period is ongoing with all authorities responsible for institutions where persons deprived of liberty are located. This Report reflects challenges, but at the same time the progress of responsible institutions of the Republic of Kosovo in respecting fundamental rights of persons deprived of their liberty. During this period as well NPM continued its international cooperation, by participating in meetings organized within the scope of South-East Europe NPM Network (SEE- Network), as well as in the Working Group on Asylum and Migration within the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI). In addition, the work of NPM in 2019 was accompanied by various successes. One of these successes is the Closing Conference of the Council of Europe's Project for Strengthening of NPM Capacities, organized by the Council of Europe and the NPM in April 2019. The Closing Conference was honored with the presence of the President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Mr. Mikola Gnatovsky, His Excellency the Ambassador of Switzerland in Republic of Kosovo Jean-Hubert Lebet, representatives of the Embassy of Kingdom of Norway, representatives of the Council of Europe, Office in Prishtina, representatives of Kosovo Republic institutions and various local and international organizations. 3