Helsinki Association Cannot Conduct Monitoring at Detention Facilities

On Thursday, Mikael Danielyan, chairman of Helsinki Association declared that the administration of detention facilities of the RA Ministry of Justice does not permit his organization to conduct observations at detention facilities. Within the framework of “Monitoring of Human Rights State in Armenia” project Helsinki Association released its report in February of 2011.

The second phase of the project incorporates direct observations at detention facilities. Danielyan noted that he had received written permission from the previous Minister of Justice, Gevorg Danielyan; however, under the office of the new minster of Justice, Hrayr Tovmasyan, when Helsinki Association reapplied to the Ministry of Justice to clarify the monitoring details, a prohibition was received from the administration of the detention facilities.

Danielyan reapplied to the Ministry of Justice to notify that the Association had the minster’s consent to conduct monitoring. It has been more than a month, but the human rights defender has not received a response and currently he intends to argue for his right to get information. Arsen Babayan, press spokesman of the detention facility administration, announced that the Ministry of Justice had given monitoring permission for the first phase of the project, which has been completed. “With regard to that permission, they conducted the monitoring and have published the gathered outcomes and the facts have been distorted. They received a fact about the existence of an unresolved issue, but never attempted to identify the comments made by the detention facility. Without those comments, and considering the standpoint and explanation of the official party, they immediately published them and, in fact, provided false and incorrect data”, pointed out Babayan during the interview with “Azatutyun” radio station. However, Mikael Danielyan claims that by terming an independent human right defender, he in fact means that he is not obliged to have his evaluations confirmed by the officials. In its report, Helsinki Association stated that human rights and fundamental freedoms “are gravely violated” and that the condition of the detention facilities is extremely bad. “The condition is not only bad but it is intolerable. In 2002 when we conducted our first monitoring with Norwegian Helsinki Committee, it was stated in our report that being incarcerated in the RA prison system is equal to torture and inhuman attitude. Nothing has changed since then”, stated Danielyan.

The press spokesman of the detention facility administration also denied Danielyan’s statement that all types of monitoring are prohibited in detention facilities by the order of minister of Justice until September. Arsen Babayan pointed to the Public Monitoring Group, whose members, by the spokesman’s words, have access to detention facilities 24/7.

However, chairman of Helsinki Association believes that the reports released by the Public Monitoring Group are far from the reality, because they are accorded with the Ministry of Justice.

Member of Public Monitoring Group since 2004, president of “Youth Center for Democratic Initiatives” NGO Edmon Marukyan during the interview with “Azatutyun” radio station completely denied that RA Ministry of Justice has any impact on the content of the reports published by the Public Monitoring Group; the latter only anticipates comments of the RA Ministry of Justice.

“The group receives the comments and publishes the report in its initial content with attached comments from the Ministry of Justice. Thus, if comments are made, we also publish them in the report. No single word of the report is accorded with the Ministry”, stated Marukyan.

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