clubs, canteens, walking areas, medical sanitary units and drug storages have been repaired. According to the response letters to Commissioner’s requests to take measures for improving the condition, it was stated that final constructional works were being carried out in the new penitentiary institutions, penitentiary complexes in Ganja and Lankaran cities, in female prison located in Zabrat settlement of Baku, juvenile correctional institutions, in prison located in Umbaki settlement according to the project-estimates documents. Within the competences, NPM applied with recommendations to the Penitentiary Service to seriously focus on the issues of ventilation of dorms and cells in prisons and investigation isolators, access to drinking water because of problems that may occur during winter and summer times in future. Considering the recommendations, relevant preventive measures have been undertaken; measures for improving the custody conditions were included into the action plan; the existed short-term challenges have been also eliminated efficiently by the relevant authorities. The Office of the Prosecutor-General was immediately requested with regard to the possible exposure of cruel treatment or violence and similar cases. During the preventive visits, NPG members’ suggestions and recommendations made within competences of the Commissioner and as an NPM in compliance with the OPCAT as well as relevant Constitutional Law, were based on the national legislation, CAT, SPT and CPT Reports, Istanbul Protocol, UN Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners, UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, European Prison Rules and Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, Recommendation No. R (98) 7 concerning the Ethical and Organizational Aspects of Health Care in Prison (Apr. 8, 1998) and other international standards. In 2015, NPG conducted several scheduled and ad-hoc visits to Baku Investigation Isolator.30 The purpose of the visits was to ascertain facts in the applications addressed to the Commissioner and to assess the custody conditions and treatment; whereas, ad-hoc visits were mainly conducted for verification the status of implementation of recommendations made and investigation of the applications received to the Commissioner. During the visits to this detention facility, in general, NPG members held meetings with 165 detainees. The issues raised by some of those 30 See the link http://azpolitika.info/?p=171254;also see the link http://www.azadliq.org/content/ombudsman-elmira-xed ice-leyla/27373193.ht ml 30