A sharp rise in deaths within penitentiary institutions in Armenia has prompted warnings of systemic failures, a senior prison monitoring official said on Tuesday.

Sergey Gabrielyan, head of the public observers’ group overseeing penal institutions under the Ministry of Justice, said 24 deaths were recorded among inmates and detainees in 2025, up from 12 the previous year. Speaking at a discussion on healthcare rights in the military and penitentiary system, he said the figure indicates broader structural issues rather than isolated incidents.

“Such numbers already point to a systemic problem,” Gabrielyan said.

According to data presented by the monitoring group, more than 180 complaints were filed in 2025, with around 80% related to healthcare concerns. These included delays in providing medical assistance, late transfers to civilian hospitals, inadequate treatment and insufficient access to medication.

Gabrielyan said repeated appeals had been made to the Ministries of Justice and Health, as well as to the prime minister’s office. While some responses were received, others went unanswered.

Of the 24 deaths recorded in 2025, eight were classified as suicides and 16 as natural causes. However, Gabrielyan questioned the lack of transparency and accountability surrounding the cases.

“A person was in custody, and now that person is gone. There is no clear information about what developments led to these deaths,” he said.

Albert Danielyan, a representative of the Human Rights Defender’s Office responsible for protecting the rights of servicemen and their families, also expressed concern over the trend. He noted that deaths in closed institutions had doubled within a year and that the number of suicides reached its highest level in recent years.

“We have not seen such a high number of suicides before,” Danielyan said, adding that previous peaks were recorded in 2011 and 2016, with seven cases each year.

He said the figures suggest that authorities have failed to adequately investigate the causes of deaths and suicides within penitentiary facilities.