INTRODUCTION Recommendations by response Rejected No response Accepted – unrealised Accepted – realised AC Waiting for reply Total 8 8 21 163 RH 8 19 59 56 PH 2 21 13 18 54 SSCI 1 4 4 1 10 RTI 1 8 9 1 4 23 P 2 2 23 24 16 67 PJP PS 1 1 17 1 39 96 5 158 1.1.5 International and other activities of the NPM In addition to visiting places of deprivation of liberty, the NPM also conducts numerous other activities, such as drafting proposals and comments to applicable or proposed acts (in 2018, e.g. the amended ZIKS-1, the amended Criminal Procedure Act, the amended Police Tasks And Powers Act, the Rules on the Exercise of the Powers and Duties of Prison Guards and other regulations), preparing and implementing presentations for foreign delegations or visitors (in 2018, we hosted NPM representatives from Kazakhstan, Hungary and Armenia), preparing replies to questions from various networks or other NPMs and authorities, organising and attending meetings, seminars and sessions (at home and abroad) and others (certain activities are evident in the review of other activities of the NPM in 2018, which is attached to this report). In May and November 2018, we participated in the training programme for newly accepted prison officers where Deputy Ombudsman, Ivan Šelih, presented the work of the Ombudsman to prison officers in Gotenica, and the Ombudsman’s adviser, Robert Gačnik, presented the work of the NPM. Within the scope of preparing to implement guidelines and obligatory instructions for preparing the police work plan and planning of supervision of the Police, we met with the representatives of the Police and Security Directorate at the Ministry of the Interior in the relevant year (as was done in the past). Our comments were also included in the preparation of the draft of the fourth periodic report of the Republic of Slovenia as per the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Its drafting was delayed since it should have already been completed by 3 June 2015. The tenth anniversary of the NPM’s operations was celebrated with an international conference in Ljubljana entitled the NPM Impact Assessment in cooperation with the Council of Europe. The report about this event is in the attachment. We remained active in the South-East Europe NPM Network,13 the purpose of which is to establish better cooperation, exchange experience and implement numerous joint activities to improve the efficiency of performing duties and powers of the NPM in South East Europe which derive from the Optional Protocol. Between 29 and 30 May 2018, Deputy Ombudsman Ivan Šelih and the Ombudsman’s adviser, Robert Gačnik, attended a meeting of the Network in Podgorica in Montenegro whose purpose was to exchange experience in the prevention of suicides and overdosing in detention rooms and to discuss the position of NPM staff. The representatives of the Slovenian NPM presented to other attendees the suicide prevention strategy established by the Prison Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (UIRSKS) in 2003. The event in Podgorica ended with the findings that the state is obliged to protect the lives of everyone under its jurisdiction by means of suitable measures; however, this obligation must be interpreted in way which does not impose on the authorities an impossible and disproportionate burden (as is also derived 13 See http://www.varuh-rs.si/o-instituciji/podrocja-dela-varuha/varuh-kot-drzavni-preventivni-mehanizem/south-east-europe-npm-network/. 12 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE NPM IN 2018 NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM UNDER THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT