cooperation ties with the Ombudsman Office and gratitude for sincere reception and information exchange. The Ombudsman Office representatives and the head of the National Preventive Group of the Ombudsman participated at the High-level Seminar co-organized by the Council of Europe and the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) on Freedom of Expression – role and powers of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and other national mechanisms. The presentation of Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, Council of Europe, executives of OSCE, European Federation of Journalists, International Ombudsman Institute, European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), ombudsmen of different countries and international experts, exchange of opinions was carried out. During the seminar held with participation of representatives of numerous national human rights institutions, independent experts, diplomats, the discussions were carried out on such topics as the activity of the National Human Rights Institutions as independent monitoring mechanisms in ensuring the freedom of expression, the directions of cooperation with civil society and journalistic unions, the implementation of international documents, accountability, analyze of legislation, transparency of media bodies activities, pluralism, support to social media and others. The staff members of the Office also attended the meeting of ENNHRI Working Group on Communication held with participation of representatives of the NHRIs functioning in European region. Within the visit framework the publications of the Ombudsman, annual reports, the reports on the activity of the Commissioner as the NPM were presented to the COE Office. Within the international cooperation of the NPM, the representative of the Azerbaijani NPM participated at the international seminar on the topic “Monitoring in Psychiatric institutions” co-organized by the International Ombudsman Institution, APT and Lithuanian Ombudsman held in Vilnius for the staff members of the National Human Rights Institutions for strengthening the NPM mandate.49 The visits paid to psychiatric institutions that are the places which persons cannot leave on their own will upon the United Nations Convention on Prevention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Optional Protocol to it, the referred international standards, reforms in the national legislation, accountability, the positive experience gained as NPM in different countries, existing resources, the difficulties faced in the frames of these activities and their 49 http://www.apt.ch/en/news_on_prevention/workshop-with-ombuds-institutions-onmonitoring-psychiatric-facilities/#.WRAe29wlG70 80