CHAPTER 2. ACTIVITY OF THE NPM AND PREVENTIVE VISITS 2.1. The Organization of Preventive Visits Evidently, conduction of regular preventive visits to places which detained persons cannot leave on their own will is the key direction of the NPM’s activity. Defining its priorities on performing duties the Azerbaijani NPM also considers the OPCAT objectives13. Thus, pursuant to the paragraph (a) of the Article 20 of the OPCAT in order to enable the national preventive mechanisms to fulfill their mandate, the State parties to the Protocol undertake to grant them with access to all information concerning the number of persons deprived of their liberty in places of detention as defined in Article 4, as well as the number of places and their location. Such information is received on the basis of motions of the Commissioner to the related bodies and visits are conducted in accordance with the annual plan prepared based on the information submitted by those relevant bodies. If it is deemed necessary, at the end of the year, the information is updated for the upcoming year through verification with the corresponding bodies. Within the activity of the NPM, all preventive visits undertaken are conducted without making prior notice, which may be divided into two groups: scheduled visits and ad-hoc visits. 2.1.1. Scheduled visits The scheduled visits are conducted according to the annual schedule approved by the Commissioner. The draft of the annual schedule is discussed at the meeting attended by the NPG members, the outcomes are drawn up to a report and accepted schedule is submitted to the Commissioner for approval. Non-disclosure of a schedule is necessary for effectiveness of the visits. Therefore, its confidentiality is ensured by the NPG members. The decision upon the succession of this or another institution included in the visit, as well as on revisiting is made with consideration of such factors as the specifications of the given institution, prior cases reported on the detention conditions and treatment in the mentioned institution in previous years, its location, as well as the information submitted to the NPG as a result of an analysis of the complaints addressed to the Commissioner. 13 OPCAT, Article 20 ; 12