of torture. They concerned: the monitoring of social care homes12, developing standards to monitor the situation of LGBT detainees13, strengthening the role of national preventive mechanisms in introducing positive changes in places where people are deprived of liberty14, developing a common position on the existence in the EU member states of effective systems to monitor cases of expelling foreign citizens to their countries, the protection of and the NMPs’ mandate to monitor their return flights15, the protection of persons in closed detention centres for migrants16 and implementing the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules)17. In connection with the plan to establish a national preventive mechanism in the Republic of South Africa, on 7 May CHR Adam Bodnar, Deputy CHR Hanna Machińska and representatives of the NMPT met with a delegation of human rights institutions from South Africa. The delegation included representatives of the South African Defender of Civil and Political Rights, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate18, the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services19 and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development 20. On 25-27 June the NMPT hosted a meeting with employees of the National Preventive Mechanism from the Republic of Kosovo. The Mechanism’s members were accompanied by representatives of the country’s NGOs. The aim of the visit was to exchange experience in the implementation of the OPCAT. Joint visits were conducted at the Warsaw Bemowo unit of the Warsaw-Białołęka Pre-Trial Detention Centre and the Clinical Psychiatry Department of the Wolski Hospital in Warsaw. On 10 August the NMPT met with representatives of the National Centre for Human Rights from Kazakhstan. The participants shared their experience in the work of their countries’ national preventive mechanisms. The guests, 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 12 13 22 12-13.03.2018 in Trier 15-16.03.2018 in Geneva 7-9.11.2018 in Kopenhagen 15.10.2018 in Athens 3-4. .12.2018 in Milan and on 12.12.2018 in Podgorica 11.09.2018 in Warsaw Independent Police Investigative Directorate Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services Department of Justice and Constitutional Development PART II – how does the NMPT work?