The OPCAT provides only an obligation to publish the NPM annual report. However, as NPMs (in contrast with the SPT) are not bound by the rule of confidentiality, it is recommended that they publish visit reports, either one at a time or in collections covering several visits. As noted above, public reports contribute to making issues known to all interested stakeholders, including relatives of detainees and the wider public, and to enhancing the accountability of the authorities an dthe NPM’s legitimacy and visibility.
In its NPM assessment tool, the SPT mentions that “Visit reports, including recommendations, should, in principle, be published. Exceptions may exist where the national preventive mechanism considers it inappropriate to do so or where there is a legal impediment.”
When publishing their visit reports, the NPM should disseminate the report as widely as possible. This may include uploading visit reports to their websites and disseminating them through their social media channels.
Publication of reports can be a strategic decision for NPMs. As there is no general applicable rule, NPMs can strategically assess when and how to publish their reports. It may depend on the goals the NPM would like to achieve.
