Deputy Ombudsman Saša Rajić and advisor Anica Tomšić participated in the meeting of the South East Europe NPM Network (SEE NPM) in Ljubljana on 13 and 14 May 2025.
During these two days, representatives of nine national preventive mechanisms for the prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (NPMs) from the region shared their experiences on the implementation of the European Commission Recommendation 2022 (C(2022) on the procedural rights of pre-trial detainees, and on the second day, a site visit was held to visit the construction site of a new prison in Ljubljana.
At the end of the meeting, conclusions were drawn, emphasizing that pre-trial detention should be used as a measure of last resort, subject to periodic judicial review, and that alternative measures should be systematically considered for minor crimes or when vulnerable groups are involved. The competent authorities should ensure that pre-trial detainees have effective access to a lawyer and a professional interpreter during their deprivation of liberty. NPMs can contribute to better respect for the procedural rights of pre-trial detainees by monitoring and reporting on the situation and conditions where violations of procedural rights may create risks of torture and ill-treatment. During the meeting, NPM representatives also visited the construction site of a new prison in Ljubljana. The meeting was organized by the NPM of Slovenia, which chairs the Network this year. You can find out more about the work of the Ombudsman institution through the NPM mandate here and here (in Croatian).