On
March 4, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia Ms. Anahit
Manasyan conducted a visit to the “Hospital of Convicts” penitentiary
institution of Ministry of Justice.
Accompanied
by the Acting Head of the Institution Mr. Robert Tamaryan and Coordinator of
the National Preventive Mechanism Implementation and Head of the Department for
Prevention of Torture and Ill-Treatment of the Human Rights Defender's Office,
Ms. Laura Gasparyan, the Defender toured the facility, visited hospital wards,
and examined the detention conditions and other issues related to the exercise
of the right to health care.
The
Human Rights Defender and the Representatives of the Human Rights Defender’s
Office also held private interviews with detainees, including foreigners, who
raised various problems.
Among
other issues, detainees raised problems related to the prolonged delays in
court hearings due to the lack or shortage of transportation vehicles,
eligibility for conditional early release, difficulties in maintaining contact
with the outside world, access to legal assistance provided by the Public
Defender’s Office and the need for food provisions that meet the religious
dietary requirements of foreign detainees. Issues related to the functional
assessment process and release from punishment on medical grounds were also
raised.
The
Human Rights Defender has repeatedly addressed to the problems mentioned above,
particularly she has publicly expressed concern about the practice of not
transporting persons deprived of their liberty to court hearings and the proper
provision of medical care to persons deprived of their liberty.
It is
deeply concerning that these longstanding problems remain unresolved for years,
especially the shortage of transportation vehicles.
The
Defender also emphasized the importance of improving the building conditions of
places of deprivation of liberty, stressing that this problem should be given
priority attention.
The
results of the visit will be summarized, and appropriate measures will be taken
within the scope of the Defender's authority to resolve the problems
identified.
The
Human Rights Defender also emphasizes the importance of ensuring proper working
conditions for penitentiary staff, which will become a subject of special
discussion within the framework of communication with the competent
authorities.
The
protection of human rights in places of deprivation of liberty are constantly
under the direct attention of the Human Rights Defender.
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