On
July 25-26, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, as the
National Preventive Mechanism, organized a training course in Tsakhkadzor for
the management of penitentiary institutions and the “Center for Penitentiary
Medicine” SNCO.
At
the start of the course, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia,
Ms. Anahit Manasyan, Head of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of
Justice of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Tsovinar Tadevosyan, and Director of
the “Center for Penitentiary Medicine” SNCO Mr. Kamo Manukyan delivered opening
remarks.
In
her speech, the Human Rights Defender noted that the problems in the field
cannot be solved only by recording them, by aggressive criticism, or by one
actor just raising them.
“I am
confident that the solution to the problems recorded in penitentiary
institutions is possible only through joint, coordinated efforts. International
experience in this direction is clear: effective solutions can only be achieved
as a result of cooperation in identifying the problems and overcoming them.”
Referring
the topic of preventing torture and ill-treatment, Ms. Anahit Manasyan noted
that in this regard, there are still misunderstandings at the level of public
perceptions, which need to be overcome in order to properly address the sector.
The
Defender emphasized that raising issues on her part never has the goal of
aggressive criticism: “We are not here to criticize for the sake of criticism.
Our goal is to raise problem, make them recognizable, and find solutions on a
collaborative platform.”
During
the training, Ms. Laura Gasparyan, Coordinator of the National Preventive
Mechanism Implementation - Head of Department for Prevention of Torture and
Ill-Treatment of the Human Rights Defender’s Office of the Republic of Armenia,
presented the mandate and functions of the National Preventive Mechanism, the
legal definition of torture under Armenian legislation and international
regulations, international standarts in the field of torture prevention, and
CPT standards.
The
training is conducted by Ms. Laura Gasparyan, Deputy Head of the Department for
the Prevention of Torture and Ill-Treatment Mr. Hovhannes Ghukasyan, and NPM
Experts Ms. Narine Siradeghyan (psychologist) and Mr. Davit Ananyan
(psychiatrist). During two days, the consequences of torture, relevant
decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the suicide
prevention toolkit, signs of suicidal behaviour, hunger strike, use of special
means and medical confidentiality will be discussed.
The
purpose of the training is to contribute to strengthening the professional
capacities of sector specialists and to promote cooperation aimed at
establishing an effective system for the prevention of torture and
ill-treatment.
The
event was organized within the framework of the EU-funded “Promoting Human
Rights Protection and Strengthening National Mechanisms” project and
implemented by UNDP, UNICEF, and UNFPA.
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