Armenia`s Human Rights Defender issues statement on violence in penitentiaries

ArmInfo. The Office of the RA Human Rights Defender has issued a statement on the problem of recording torture of and violence against inmates of Armenia’s  penitentiaries. 

Monitoring conducted by the Human Rights Defender proved the corrupt  practice of not recording traumas during medical examination of  inmates. The Office the RA Human Rights Defender has received  numerous complaints. 

The Office recorded such violations at the Abovyan penitentiary and  Armavir penitentiary. 

In its turn, the RA Ministry of Justice explains that relevant  records are included in the inmates’ personal records. 

“The Human Rights Defender points out that this fact can by no means  be the basis for the staff of the Penitentiary Medical Center not  drawing up relevant records and not sending them to law-enforcers. 

“Properly recording any bodily injuries of inmates in their being  admitted to penitentiaries is mandatory as such persons remain in  custody even on their way to the penitentiary,” the statement reads. 

The Office the RA Human Rights Defender has denounced the  unprofessional or incomplete recording of traumas received by  inmates, thee practice of not providing medical opinions on the  nature and causes of traumas received by inmates, not sending the  relevant records of alleged violence to law-enforcers.  In its annual  reports, the Office the RA Human Rights Defender raises the problems,  with detailed analyses and proposal to resolve them. 

“Once more we are calling on Armenia’s Ministry of Justice and other  authorities to strictly supervise the mechanisms of properly  recording of instances of alleged torture and violence thereby  ensuring effective and comprehensive investigations and preventing  such offences,” thee statement reads.