Activities during the period 1 August 2011 to 31 July 2012 10. The ad hoc visit to “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” in November 2011 concentrated on the situation at Idrizovo Prison, the country’s largest penitentiary establishment. In the report on its last periodic visit in 2010 (published on 25 January 2012), the CPT expressed concern about the level of inter-prisoner violence observed at Idrizovo, a problem compounded by inadequate staffing levels, and also severely criticised once again conditions of detention in the establishment. The delegation carrying out the ad hoc visit examined the steps which had been taken in the light of the recommendations made after that periodic visit. Targeted follow-up visits were also made to Skopje Remand Prison and the remand section of Tetovo Prison, particular attention being given to the conditions of detention of juveniles on remand. 11. The ad hoc visit to Turkey in June 2012 was triggered by the allegations of ill-treatment of juvenile prisoners held at Pozantı Prison (Adana Province) which had come to light earlier in the year. The CPT’s delegation visited Ankara-Sincan Juvenile Prison, to which all the juveniles previously held at Pozantı had been transferred, as well as Istanbul-Maltepe Juvenile Prison and the juvenile units of Diyarbakır and Gaziantep E-type Prisons. The delegation also discussed with the Turkish authorities the fires which had broken out in June in several prisons in central and south-eastern Turkey, resulting in a number of severe casualties. 12. The treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the police was the focus of the ad hoc visit organised to Ukraine in November/December 2011. The persistence of ill-treatment by the police had been highlighted in previous CPT reports. Unfortunately, as is made clear in the preliminary observations of the delegation that carried out the ad hoc visit, which were published on 12 March 2012, the information gathered indicates that the phenomenon of police ill-treatment remains widespread (see also paragraph 77 below). The Committee’s delegation also examined the health care being provided to certain persons held at the main pre-trial establishment (SIZO) in Kyiv at the time of the visit, including Valeriy Ivashenko, Yuriy Lutsenko and Yulia Tymoshenko. The delegation expressed concern about the considerable delays observed in arranging specialised medical examinations outside the SIZO. The possible need for add­ itional interventions to be explored in a specialised hospital setting was also flagged. High-level talks with national authorities 13. In line with standard practice, CPT delegations have continued to hold talks with the national authorities, at both the outset and the end of visits. The Committee wishes to emphasise the importance of the participation of the relevant Ministers, in particular at the end-of-visit talks; this is when the delegation presents its preliminary remarks including observations concerning any situations where there is an urgent need to improve the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty. 9