to Germany. No instances of Fixierung or only very few had occurred in recent years in any of the prisons visited, and whenever such instances did occur it was usually for relatively short periods. Whilst acknowledging that the use of surgical castration in the context of treatment of sex ofenders has drastically diminished in recent years throughout Germany (only two cases during the period from 2010 to 2012), the CPT reiterates its recommendation that a defnitive end be put to this practice and that the relevant legal provisions be amended accordingly. In their response, the German authorities provide information on steps taken or envisaged to implement the CPT’s recommendations.2 10. In the course of the ad hoc visit to Latvia in September 2013, the CPT’s delegation reviewed the action taken by the Latvian authorities to implement recommendations made by the Committee after the 2011 periodic visit, in particular as regards the situation in prisons (including the regime for lifesentenced prisoners and the provision of health care) and conditions of detention in police establishments. The report on this visit and the response of the Latvian authorities were published on 11 March 2014 and will be commented upon in the section “Publication highlights” (see paragraphs 67 to 70). 11. In May 2014, the CPT organised its sixth visit to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, focusing on the conditions of detention in the four prison establishments located on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. The CPT’s delegation 2. The report on the 2013 ad hoc visit and the response of the German authorities were made public on 24 July 2014. also reviewed the situation of persons detained by the police. In addition, on Aruba and Curaçao, the delegation looked into the treatment of involuntary patients in psychiatric facilities and of irregular migrants in immigration detention centres. The situation of juveniles deprived of their liberty was also examined. 12. The main objective of the ad hoc visit to the Russian Federation in November/ December 2014 was to review the situation of prisoners serving a life sentence, in particular the regime and security measures applied to them. To that end, the CPT’s delegation visited two penitentiary establishments in the regions of Orenburg Perm where life-sentenced prisoners are held. In addition, the delegation went to several pre-trial establishments (SIZOs) in Moscow in order to interview inter alia certain Ukrainian nationals remanded in custody on charges of planning terrorist attacks in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine, or of murder of Russian nationals in eastern Ukraine. 13. The ad hoc visit to Spain in July 2014 focused on the situation of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under aliens legislation. In this context, the CPT’s delegation went to the Spanish exclave in Melilla, located on the northern coast of Africa, in order to examine the treatment of foreign nationals by the Guardia Civil at the fenced border with Morocco. To this end, the delegation interviewed numerous foreign nationals in the Melilla Centre for the Temporary Stay of Migrants (Centro de Estancia Temporal de Inmigrantes). The delegation also carried out follow-up visits to the detention centres for foreigners (Centros de Internamiento de Extranjeros) in Madrid (Aluche) and Barcelona (Zona Franca) as well as to the holding facilities of the Immigration Service at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport. Activities during the period 1 August 2013 to 31 December 2014 ► Page 11