On March 16, the Human Rights Defender, accompanied by the representatives of the Defender’s Office, including representatives of the subdivision of National Preventive Mechanism, visited Abovyan penitentiary institution of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia.
During the visit, issues with regard to the conditions of detention of women and juveniles detained in the penitentiary institution, the state of their health care and rights of education, their connection with the outside world, issues related to re-socialization, etc. were examined. The Human Rights Defender held private interviews with women and juveniles deprived of their liberty.
The following fundamental issues were registered:
• The building conditions of the penitentiary institution are extremely unsatisfactory. During the visit, the humidity level in the corridors of the institution and in some of the cells was high, the gypsum plaster of the wall was spilled, and there was an urgent need for repair,
• absence of cells or dormitories for detainees or convicts who are pregnant or have children under the age of three, as well as toilets and baths adapted for the latter,
• absence of furnished yards, playgrounds for children up to three years old living with their parents,
• the cells are not equipped with children's furniture for children up to three years old living with the parent; in some cases, cells were not even equipped with a cot,
• There are no first aid kits for young children (for example, antipyretics) in the Abovyan subdivision of the Prison Medical Center SNCO,
• there were expired medications in the dental office
• persons deprived of their liberty have expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality and variety of food prepared by a private company delegated the function of providing food in the penitentiary institution ,
• there are issues related to providing young children with appropriate portions and variety of food as prescribed by legislation,
• juveniles deprived of their liberty alone are deprived of opportunities of adequate human contact,
• there are issues related to the communication of foreign citizens deprived of their liberty, and as a result, there are problems in the ensuring of their rights.
It should be noted that positive developments have also been registered during the visit. In particular, the general education programs for persons deprived of their liberty and their involvement in them are welcomed.
The issues raised have been discussed with the administration of the penitentiary institution, as well as with the medical staff of the Abovyan subdivision of the Penitentiary Medical Center SNCO.
The registered issues will be summarized in the prescribed manner, and will be submitted to the competent bodies of the sphere, together with the proposals for their solution.
During the monitoring visit, the administration of the penitentiary institution and the medical staff actively cooperated with representatives of the Human Rights Defender in exercising their powers. Any obstacles to their work were not created.
The recorded problems will be summarized and together with proposals aimed at solving them will be submitted to the competent authority.
Հայերեն
