In the last week of May, the project organised a capacity building activity for the team of the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture (NPM), by supporting its visit to places of deprivation of liberty in the region of Pejë/Peć. The NPM piloted new approach to monitoring visits in which it was focussed on one region, and inspection of all establishments under its mandate there, unlike before when NPM was doing visits separately, focussing on specific type of facilities during the entire monitoring visit.

During the three days spent in one of the largest regions, NPM visited 8 relevant facilities in 4 municipalities including detention centre, four police stations, two dormitories for elderly people and one closed mental health facility. On the fourth day, the project supported an online mentoring workshop with NPM and two international experts with CPT experience, in which they exchanged on and discussed findings and recommendations from the visits along with refreshing the knowledge on relevant CPT standards and check lists. This was the substitute for direct in-person coaching applied in previous project cycle, with aim to adapt implementation modalities to restrictions imposed after outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

According to feedback from beneficiaries and experts, this approach enabled quality interaction and exchange, and was assessed as the most optimal for the current circumstances. The project Strengthening the Kosovo* Institutions in Fight against Torture, Ill- treatment and Other Degrading Treatment is funded by Norway and implemented by the Council of Europe in close cooperation with Ombudsperson Institution and its National Preventive Mechanism against Torture.