24 To perform the tasks falling under my general activities aimed at protecting fundamental rights, my Office employs civil servants mainly with law degrees. When it was necessary, lawyers working in other organizational units of my Office, possessing professional knowledge necessary for the successful inspection of a given place of detention, also participated in the inspections. In addition to lawyers, experts with degrees in medicine, psychology and education participated in the inspections carried out by the NPM in 2015; we also used translators for interviewing foreigners who did not speak languages spoken by my colleagues. 5.3. The conduct of visits 5.3.1. Proof of authorization to proceed In my capacity of Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, I may proceed as NPM without any restriction. My colleagues entitled to proceed within the frameworks of my general activities aimed at protecting fundamental rights, including those participating in performing the tasks of the NPM, possess an official inspection document with picture, in the form of a card, with the inscription “Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights”, a serial number, and the bearer’s name and position. Upon arriving at a place of detention, members of the visiting delegation introduce themselves and the purpose of the visit, show their inspection documents and hand over the commission letter signed by me, attesting to their entitlement to proceed in order to perform the tasks of the NPM. The commission letter also contains the names of external experts, e.g., physicians, interpreters, participating in the inspection of the given place of detention, and their authorization to proceed. By virtue of Section 39/D, Subsection (1) of the Ombudsman Act, when I act not in person, but by way of my authorized colleagues, the latter are also entitled, when performing the tasks of the NPM, to the rights stipulated in Section 21 of the Ombudsman Act. 5.3.2. Inspection of a place of detention By virtue of Section 39/B, Subsection (3), Paragraph a) of the Ombudsman Act, the NPM may “enter without any restriction the places of detention and other premises of the authority under inquiry”. In the course of the visits, my colleagues checked their furnishing and equipment, treatment and conditions of the persons documents and, among others, monitored liberty. inspected the premises of the places of detention, inspected the documents related to the number, deprived of their liberty, made copies of certain the joint activities of the persons deprived of their My colleagues took snapshots during the inspections and took measurements of the sizes and temperatures of the facilities where the persons deprived of their liberty had been placed. In order to prevent the ill-treatment of persons deprived of their liberty, at the places of detention my colleagues also inspected those facilities that were unoccupied during the time of the visit. 5.3.3. Interviews In accordance with Section 39/B, Subsection (3), Paragraph c) of the Ombudsman Act, the NPM may hear “any person present on the site, including the personnel of the authority under inspection and any person deprived of his/her liberty”.

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