became an independent medical institution under the Ministry of Justice has paved the way for more effective protection of detainees’ health and prevention of torture and other ill-treatment. The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as an out-of-court legal protection mechanism, has also contributed to more reliable protection of detainees’ rights. The institution, that has attached particular importance to the protection of detainees’ rights and satisfaction of their legitimate interests since its establishment, has regularly monitored the establishments where detainees are held, arranged meetings with detainees, got acquainted with the conditions of detention and detainees’ complaints on-site, taken necessary measures based on received appeals, put forth efforts to resolve this or other issues and eliminate existing problems, and made recommendations to various governmental bodies. The Commissioner’s numerous appeals for pardoning made as per the request of convicts and their family members have been met. Another momentum in the struggle against torture and ill-treatment in the country has been the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment on 02 December 2008. By the President’s Order of 13 January 2009, the Commissioner has been designated as an institution to perform the national preventive mechanism (NPM) functions. Further on, the Commissioner’s mandate has been expanded by amending the governing Constitutional Law. Over the past period, notwithstanding that the legislative and institutional frameworks were not fully established, the NPM Group was created and it organized its work in conformity with the requirements of the OPCAT and international standards. Within a short time period regular visits were conducted by the Group to all the places that fall under the jurisdiction of the NPM and where persons are detained or may be detained without permission to leave at will – temporary detention places, administrative detention places, isolation centres, investigatory isolators, penitentiary institutions, prisons, guardrooms, disciplinary units, psychiatric institutions, mental dispensaries, boarding schools, etc., various proposals and recommendations were prepared and submitted to respective bodies and most of them were satisfied. 4