Report on the Performance of the Activities of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2019 INTRODUCTION Dear readers, the Report on the Performance of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2019 contains an overview and analysis of the state of human rights of persons deprived of liberty and with restricted freedom of movement, as well as NPM activities focused on preventing torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Like the previous reports, it is based on data collected through unannounced visits, citizens’ complaints and cases opened on our own initiative, and contains 19 recommendations which we addressed to competent bodies for elimination of systemic problems. Although in 2019 we again observed no practices that might represent torture, we did note practices that might be inhuman or degrading. Hence, it is important to continue to implement well-designed and effective activities in order to avert such practices altogether. Overcrowding remains a significant problem within the prison system, while the living conditions in many places of detention are still inadequate, in some are degrading, or even dangerous to health. There is still a significant number of complaints regarding the standard of medical care, especially non-referral for specialist examinations or not complying with specialists' recommendations in the course of their medical therapy. 2 Some of the reasons we took action during the last year regarding the work of police relate to the unprofessional and unethical conduct towards citizens, overstepping authority when depriving persons of liberty, as well as the ineffectiveness of police investigations. Citizens have continued to draw our attention to the difficulties they encounter when trying to file a criminal charge with the police, an issue which we also raised with the relevant parliamentary committee. Persons with mental health problems most frequently complained about forced detention and placement in psychiatric care wards, about means of coercion, and accommodation conditions. A common problem in psychiatric institutions is the lack of opportunities to go outside for a walk for patients who suffer not only from psychological, but also physical health problems, and therefore have reduced mobility. It is also worrying that the patients, even those who have been committed voluntarily, are not always adequately informed about the reasons for their commitment, or what their rights are. The problems we have observed over the last few years in homes for the elderly are also present in those we visited in 2019: staff shortages, inadequate living conditions in stationary departments, admission contracts are sometimes not even signed by the users themselves, but by family members or others who took on the responsibility of paying for the accommodation. Adequate physical activity for users also needs to be provided, and complaints and actions undertaken to resolve them need to be properly registered.