conversations with persons deprived of their liberty. External experts participating in visits draw up expert opinions which are incorporated in the visit report. The duration of a specific visit depends on the size of the visited establishment, and lasts 1 to 3 days. Every visit of the NMPT comprises the following stages: • conversation with the establishment’s managers, • inspection of all rooms used by persons deprived of their liberty, • individual and group conversations with detainees, • conversations with the personnel, • analysis of documents and video surveillance footage, • formulation of preliminary post-visit recommendations, • listening to the establishment managers’ opinions on the presented recommendations. If a person deprived of his/her liberty reports an unlawful event during the visit and expresses the desire to have it investigated, he/she has the opportunity to lodge an official complaint. The complaint is then forwarded to the competent team within the CHR Office. Yet, if the person does not consent to addressing the issue officially, the visiting team shall only use the information for the purposes of analysing the operation of mechanisms intended to protect persons deprived of their liberty against degrading, inhuman treatment or punishment as well as from torture and for the purpose of presenting relevant recommendations. Due to the epidemiological situation the visits had the form of remote monitoring. They consisted in interviews, held remotely via an internet communicator, with persons deprived of liberty and the staff of the facility in question. In each of the visited establishments, a special closed room with a computer station and access to the internet was allocated to ensure holding the interviews without the presence of third persons. As in the case physical on-site visits, the directors, officers and detainees were informed of the prohibition of reprisals under Article 21(1) of the OPCAT. ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 21 (1) OPCAT NO AUTHORITY OR OFFICIAL SHALL ORDER, APPLY, PERMIT OR TOLERATE ANY SANCTION AGAINST ANY PERSON OR ORGANIZATION FOR HAVING COMMUNICATED TO THE NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM ANY INFORMATION, WHETHER TRUE OR FALSE, AND NO SUCH PERSON OR ORGANIZATION SHALL BE OTHERWISE PREJUDICED IN ANY WAY. 15