21 November 2016 – Deputy Ombudsman Miha Horvat held a lecture for students of the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana as part of the subject, Selected deviant occurrences. He presented the Ombudsman’s work, particularly concerning the prohibition of torture and inhumane or degrading treatment, and the work of the National Preventive Mechanism. 2–4 November 2016 – Deputy Ombudsmen Ivan Šelih and Miha Horvat attended a regional conference in Ohrid (Macedonia) entitled ‘Access to the right to an asylum and formal/informal return of migrants/ refugees’. The conference was organised by the Macedonian Ombudsman in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representative in Skopje. 8–9 November 2016 – Deputy Ombudsman Ivan Šelih attended the 6th East European National Prevention Mechanisms Conference in Lviv (Ukraine). The conference commemorated the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The conference was organised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (project office in Ukraine), the Kharkiv Institute for Social Researches and the Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman. 10 November 2016 – As part of the training in Gotenica, Deputy Ombudsman Ivan Šelih and Ombudsman’s adviser Robert Gačnik presented the work of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia and the implementation of powers and duties of the NPM to newly employed judicial police officers. 15 November 2016 – Ombudsman’s advisers mag. Jure Markič and Lili Jazbec attended the second part of the expert seminar, ‘The child and adolescent on the threshold of a psychiatric ward’, at Ljubljana University Psychiatric Hospital. 16–17 November 2016 – Deputy Ombudsman Miha Horvat attended an expert conference, ‘Ensuring fundamental rights compliant implementation of Framework Decisions related to detention – The role of the Judiciary and National Preventive Mechanisms’, in Vienna (Austria). The participants explored the possibilities for the most harmonised and greatest contribution to preventing torture, inhuman or degrading treatment when applying relevant legal acts (particularly regarding the European Arrest Warrant, supervisory measures as an alternative to detention, relocation of prisoners between Member States, accompanying measures and alternative sanctions) related in any way to the law of the European Union. The conference was organised by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM) and the Academy of European Law (ERA). 28–30 November 2016 – Ombudsman’s advisers Robert Gačnik and mag. Jure Markič attended the conference of the SEE NPM Network in Zagreb (Croatia), where they discussed monitoring the realisation of NPM recommendations upon control visits, the implementation of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the so-called Nelson Mandela Rules) and the role of the NPM in the protection of refugees and migrants. The conference was organised by the Croatian Ombudsman in cooperation with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute. 6 December 2016 – Deputy Ombudsman Ivan Šelih and Ombudsman’s advisers, mag. Jure Markič, Robert Gačnik and Lili Jazbec received representatives of the Croatian NPM, which is implemented by the Croatian Ombudsman. During their visit, the representatives of NPM Croatia attended two control visits to retirement homes, i.e. Saint Joseph Home in Celje and the Thermana Laško Retirement Home. 6 December 2016 – Deputy Ombudsman Miha Horvat attended a workshop in Brussels (Belgium), where the participants discussed the issues of the recourse mechanism of Frontex (European Border and Coast Guard Agency). 13–14 December 2016 – Deputy Ombudsman and Head of the Slovenian National Preventive Mechanism Ivan Šelih and Ombudsman’s adviser Robert Gačnik attended a conference in Belgrade (Serbia) entitled ‘Protection of the Human Rights of Refugees and Migrants in the Countries of South-East Europe – Preventive Approach’. The conference was organised by the Serbian Ombudsman in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE NPM IN 2016 NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM UNDER THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT 25