I. LEGAL FRAMEWORK Cyprus ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture by adopting Laws 235/90, 35(ΙΙΙ)/90 and 36(ΙΙΙ)/2002. Subsequently, Cyprus ratified the Optional Protocol to the aforementioned Convention by adopting Law 2(III)/2009, which entered into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus on 27 March 2009. The objective of the Optional Protocol is to establish a system of regular visits undertaken by independent international and national bodies to places where people are deprived of their liberty, in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. To this end, the Optional Protocol, acceded to by Cyprus, provides for the following: (a) The establishment of a ten-member Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture as an international body to which each State Party shall allow access to places of deprivation of liberty and provide all necessary information. The Subcommittee shall advise and assist, when necessary, the national preventive bodies in their establishment under the Protocol. (b) The establishment of a national body on the prevention of torture. The body designated as the NPM by the aforementioned ratifying law was the Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights (Ombudsman). 4