Overview of the National Preventive Mechanism related deprivation of liberty and returns by air in particular. The Swiss NPM organised a visit to the department responsible for the administrative detention under immigration law provisions at Zurich Airport to give the colleagues a real insight into the Swiss (forced) return practice, thereby initiating an active exchange of ideas and experience for the following day. Ombudsman Werner Amon and an expert took part in this meeting. The Austrian NPM is an active host when it comes to bilateral exchange and invites colleagues from other NPMs to come and share experience in Vienna. In March 2019, the Albanian Ombudsman Erinda Ballanca visited the AOB together with the head of the NPM department, the Albanian Children’s Ombudsman and other colleagues. After a brief introduction by the Austrian NPM, the two institutions exchanged their respective experience and existing challenges. The importance of the Ombudsman institution was emphasised by both the Albanian and the Austrian side, particularly at a time when democracy is given little leeway. Deeper networking on the European level to pursue the goal of jointly promoting human rights was considered very important. Bilateral exchange with Albanian NPM The Serbian Ombudsman Zoran Pašalic together with the head of the Serbian NPM department and the Serbian advisor on “urgent matters” came to Vienna for an informational visit in April 2019. Talking to commission head Andrea Berzlanovich, the delegation from Serbia had the opportunity to become more familiar with the work of the Austrian NPM in the area of so-called “less traditional” places of deprivation of liberty, for example, retirement and nursing homes or institutions for persons with disabilities. Serbian NPM informs itself about „less traditional places of deprivation of liberty“ As part of the master’s course on the subject of the Constitution and the penitentiary law, the Italian NPM organised a study visit for students of this course together with the Università Roma Tre. On their three-day trip to Austria, the guests had the opportunity to talk to representatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Administrative Court of Austria and the Austrian NPM. Furthermore, an employee of the Correctional Services Academy (Strafvollzugsakademie) accompanied the group on visits to the Vienna-Josefstadt correctional institution and – in the area of the detention of mentally ill offenders – the Göllersdorf institution. Italian students on a working trip to Vienna Ombudsman Werner Amon greeted the delegation and provided a brief insight into the work of the Austrian NPM. In the detailed exchange with experts from the AOB, the students showed great interest in the system for the detention of mentally ill offenders, the availability of comprehensive health care in the penal system, dealing with alleged abuse on the part of prison officers and in the possibility to appeal for asylum seekers threatened with forced return. 18