Arrestee Detention Facilities of the Police (ADF)

Suren Iskandaryan, Chairman of the Public Monitoring Group at the Detention Facilities of the RA Police, which wascreated in 2005, summarized the year of 2011 and said that there had been some achievements, however,  there are still problems and things to do.

Civil Society Institute, Helsinki Committee Armenia and Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor submitted a new report to the RA Prosecutor General demanding to initiate a criminal case on behalf of the one-month illegal detention of Sargis Poghosyan at Nubarashen PI.

The Report to the RA Prosecutor General can be found in the Armenian version.

The report is based on the results of the research conducted in 209 and 2010 by the Group of Public Observers Conducting Monitoring of Penitentiary Institutions and Agencies of the RA Ministry of Justice. The full report (in Armenian) is attached. 

“The impetus of reforms has faded away and has returned to its origin.The reforms began years ago, when Davit Harutyunyan was the Minister of Justice, but regressedafterwards.In the situation of centralized authority, reforms cannot happen as the head of a PI does not report to the Minister of Justice.

Three human rights organizations are going to file a new report demanding to initiate a criminal case on behalf of the one-month illegal detention of Sargis Poghosyan at Nubarashen PI. www.hra.am was informed about it by Lawyer Edmon Marukyan, the representative of Civil Society Institute, Helsinki Committee Armenia, and Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor NGOs.

The RA Court of Cassation did not proceed and returned the appeal of the RA Prosecutor General. The Prosecutor had appealed against the RA Court of Appeals decision on May 30, 2011. The Court of Appeals decided to reverse the January 18, 2011 decision of Kentron and Nork-Marash Common Law Court and grant the appeal of three nonprofit organizations:  Civil Society Institute, Helsinki Committee of Armenia, and Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly –Vanadzor Office.

Why are they continuing to keep under detention the inmates who are almost immobile or have 2-3 months left to live? There are cases when irrespective of whether the illness the inmate is suffering from is included in the Government approved list of diseases exempting from sentence service or not, the inmate is not released.       

The Public Monitoring Group at Penitentiary Institutions of the RA Ministry of Justice informs that a meeting over the issues of punishment exemption of convicts suffering from diseases obstructing the service of sentences was convened on September 15.

By the August 5, 2011 decree of RA Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan, the Chief of RA MoJ “Hrazdan” Penitentiary, Justice Colonel Aram Sargsyan, was appointed as the Chief of “Abovyan” Penitentiary, while Chief of “Nubarashen” Penitentiary, Justice Colonel Tigran Navasardyan was appointed as the Chief of “Hrazdan” Penitentiary.

Interview with Artur Sakunts, head of the "Helsinki Citizens' Assembly - Vanadzor Office" NGO, Head of the Group of Public Observers Conducting Monitoring of Penitentiary Institutions.

Three more detainees were in the same isolation cell with deceased Slavik Voskanyan at “Vanadzor” Penitentiary. Several times one of them called Slavik’s relatives and had telephone conversations after and before his death.