The
Human Rights Defender continues to be concerned about the flawed practice of
not transporting persons deprived of their liberty from penitentiary institutions
to court hearings.
The
Defender regularly receives complaints regarding this issue, both during visits
to places of deprivation of liberty and through individual complaints.
The
majority of the issues concern the organization of the transfer of persons
deprived of their liberty to court hearings by the escort unit of the Ministry
of Internal Affairs. Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs has responded to
the Defender’s request, stating that 22 new transport vehicles were acquired in
the second half of 2024, the issue remains unresolved.
For
example, one complaint received by the Defender’s Office stated that an
individual was unable to attend four out of seven scheduled court hearings over
a year. Another complaint indicated that an individual had been unable to
participate in any court hearings for nearly two years due to these issues.
Clarifications were requested from the competent authorities regarding the
above issue. They cited reasons such as staff shortages in the escort unit
leading to excessive workloads, as well as a lack of sufficient or properly
functioning transport vehicles.
As a
result, when individuals are unable to attend court hearings, their right to a
fair trial is put at risk.
The
Human Rights Defender once again emphasizes that the state must take effective
measures to ensure the transportation of persons deprived of their liberty from
penitentiary institutions to court hearings, which, in practice, can also
enhance the efficiency of the judiciary. It is particularly concerning that
these long-standing issues remain unresolved and relevant, including the lack
of clear standards for transport vehicles in the domestic legislation of the
Republic of Armenia.
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