Member
of Parliament Garnik Danielyan has made a post on his Facebook page regarding
several issues related to the Armenian penitentiary institutions, in which he
made false accusations against the Human Rights Defender, allegedly stating
that "the latter is not taking steps to address the situation."
Such
behavior by this individual is not only unacceptable, but also, outwardly in
the context of his other actions, may also appear to contain elements of an
offence as defined by the Criminal Code. We urge this Member of Parliament to
familiarize himself with the publications regarding places of deprivation of
liberty, including penitentiary institutions, which are regularly visited by
the Human Rights Defender and her representatives under her instructions. These
visits are followed by publications on the issues recorded, as well as the
Defender’s annual reports as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), which, by
the way, are discussed annually in the National Assembly. In addition, to the
as hoc reports—one of which was published at the end of the previous year—and
numerous public statements by the Human Rights Defender also provide relevant
information. We further urge him to refrain from attempting to create a
misleading impression within the public.
It is
important to emphasize that the Human Rights Defender regularly organizes
discussions on the aforementioned issues, to which representatives of relevant
authorities and Members of Parliament are invited.
Regarding
numerous incidents that have occurred in places of deprivation of liberty, it
is the Human Rights Defender who has submitted reports, leading to the
initiation of criminal proceedings. Furthermore, numerous issues related to the
rights of persons deprived of their liberty are resolved daily as a result of
the Defender’s intervention.
Moreover,
most of the issues currently under public discussion were not even available to
the actors discussing them today until they were published by the Human Rights
Defender, as the Defender holds the mandate and capacity to document such
issues.
The
protection and promotion of the rights and freedoms of persons deprived of
liberty remain a daily concern of the Human Rights Defender.
We
urge adherence to parliamentary ethics and refraining from violating
international standards concerning the institutions of the Human Rights
Defender.
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