Category: News

In its new report on Armenia published today, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) noted positive developments in the treatment of life-sentenced prisoners, but pointed out remaining problems with ill-treatment in the police custody, understaffing and lack of meaningful activities for inmates. The response of the Armenian government was published together with the report.

While the decreased number of allegations of police ill-treatment in detention suggests an improvement in this area, there are indications that this problem has not been entirely eradicated. In this respect, the CPT identified a number of deficiencies in the procedure for recording injuries of detainees.

The CPT recommends that the Special Investigation Service be significantly reinforced in terms of operational staff, in order to no longer need to rely on local police officers. Legal safeguards against ill-treatment, although effectively operating, do not cover situations when persons are “invited” to come to the police for “informal talks”, but have to stay there for hours and even days before being formally declared a criminal suspect. The visit to the military detention facilities in Yerevan revealed an extremely poor offer of activities, which, coupled with the problems in providing adequate psychiatric and psychological assistance, made it clear that the isolator was not a suitable place for prolonged detention.

At the national level, there was no longer any overcrowding of prisons, but some establishments, (especially the Nubarashen Prison) were overcrowded. The CPT strongly encouraged the Armenian authorities to further pursue measures to combat overcrowding, to step up efforts to combat corruption in the prison system, and to take resolute steps to put an end to the practice of the management delegating authority to a select number of inmates (the so-called “watchers”).

The delegation noted positive developments in the treatment of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment: they were no longer routinely handcuffed when outside their cells, and for the first time several of them had been transferred from closed to semi-closed regime.

In Nubarashen and Yerevan-Kentron prisons the CPT delegation observed serious overcrowding and very poor material conditions. The Committee remained seriously concerned by the almost total absence of any regime of activities in any of the prisons visited, and called on the authorities to develop such programmes.

Healthcare services in prisons remained understaffed and poorly equipped, serious shortage of medication was observed, and the medical screening on admission, especially recording of injuries, remained totally inadequate, with the police and prison stuff routinely present, in violation of the medical confidentiality principle.

The report is based on the visit of the CPT’s delegation to Armenia from 5 to 15 October 2015.

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 17th annual Pan-European Phoneathon, held during November 16-20, has raised 1.34 million euros in donations and pledges exceeding the last year’s result by 1%.
The large-scale campaign mobilized the Armenian communities of France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Greece.
In the course of the four-day Phoneathon, around 700 volunteers have called some 46,000 households, businesses, and organizations to request their support. This year’s phoneathon involved 1700 new donors.
Proceeds from the large-scale fundraising campaign will be used to rebuild Artsakh communities that have sustained heavy damage as a result of the four-day war this year, to support the continued growth of agricultural-development projects in Armenia’s Tavush Region, and to provide assistance to the Syrian-Armenian and Iraqi-Armenian communities. Proceeds from the Greek affiliate will be contributed to the construction of the kindergarten, now underway, in Artsakh’s Karin Tak village.

The Hayastan Fund’s European affiliates will continue to accept donations and pledges till January 15, 2017.

Giuseppe Galati (Italy, EPP/CD) and Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC), co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by Armenia, will make a fact-finding visit to Yerevan on 22-23 November 2016.

Discussions will focus on the electoral reform, the 2017 parliamentary elections, the implementation of the constitutional reform, including the reform of the government and judiciary, as well as the reform of the police and the establishment of an independent mechanism for complaints against the police.

In Yerevan, Mr Galati and Mr Meale are due to meet, in particular, the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the President of the National Assembly, and the Minister of Justice. Talks are also scheduled with the Armenian delegation to PACE, the judicial authorities, and the Head of the National Police.

Hripsime Khurshudyan of Armenia, competing in the women’s +75kg weightlifting event in which she ranked 3rd and for which she was awarded a bronze medal, has been disqualified from the Olympic Games London 2012, Press Service of the International Olympic Committee reports.

Re-analysis of Khurshudyan’s samples from London 2012 resulted in a positive test for the prohibited substances dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (turinabol) and stanozolol.

The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Mr Denis Oswald (Chairman), Mrs Gunilla Lindberg and Mr Ugur Erdener, decided the following:

1. The Athlete, Hripsime Khurshudyan:
   1. is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012 (presence and/or use of Prohibited Substances or its Metabolites or Markers in an athlete’s bodily specimen),
   2. is disqualified from the event in which she participated upon the occasion of the Olympic Games London 2012, namely the women’s +75kg weightlifting event, in which she ranked 3rd and for which she was awarded a bronze medal,
   3. has the medal, the medallist pin and the diploma obtained in the women’s +75kg weightlifting event withdrawn and is ordered to return the same.
2. The IWF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.
3. The National Olympic Committee of Armenia shall ensure full implementation of this decision.
4. The National Olympic Committee of Armenia shall notably secure the return to the IOC, as soon as possible, of the medal, the medallist pin and diploma awarded in connection with the women’s +75kg weightlifting event to the Athlete.
5. This decision enters into force immediately.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Public TV and the 90th anniversary of Public Radio of Armenia, Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan handed certificates of gratitude to a group of employees of the Public TV and Radio Company.

Certificates were handed to Vardan Hovhannisyan, author of “My Army” program (Public TV), Seyran Shahsuvayan,  author of the “”Warrior” program on Public TV, journalists of “Radiolur” news program of Public Radio of Armenia Alisa Gevogyan and Armine Gevorgyan, and author of the “Witness of the time” program of Public Radio of Armenia Irina Krpeyan-Barseghyan.

Congratulating the awardees, Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan stressed the importance of mass media in the army in terms of presenting comprehensive and unbiased information about the activity of the Armed Forces.

Minster Sargsyan said he welcomes any new ideas on Army-related  issues and expects continuation of cooperation with a view of calling new programs to life.

Photo: AP

 

Egypt’s highest appeal court has overturned a life sentence handed down to ousted President Mohammed Morsi, the BBC reports.

The Court of Cassation ordered that the 65-year-old be retried on the charge of conspiring to commit terrorist acts with foreign organisations.

Last week, the court quashed a death sentence handed to Morsi in a separate case revolving around a mass prison break during the 2011 revolution.

But he is still serving lengthy sentences related to two other cases.

Morsi was elected president in 2012 but was removed by the military a year later after protests against his rule.

James Warlick will step down as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair on December 31.

“It has been an honor to serve in the Department of State for more than 30 years,” Warlick said in a Twitter post.

Ambassador James B. Warlick will join Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners’ team in Washington, D.C. in January 2017. He will be responsible for working with U.S. and international clients, development of strategic client relationships, legislation and public policy.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will visit Antananarivo November 22-25 to participate in the session of the International Organization of the Francophonie.

Within the framework of the visit Minister Nalbandian will have meetings with his counterparts from a number of countries.

Photo: Reuters

 

A suicide bomber on Monday killed at least 27 people and wounded 35 in an explosion at a crowded Shia mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, officials said, reports.

The attacker entered the Baqir ul Olum mosque during a ceremony, the interior ministry said in a statement.

Fraidoon Obaidi, chief of the Kabul police Criminal Investigation Department, said at least 27 people were killed and 35 wounded when the explosion tore through the worshippers.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Germany’s centre-right Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that she will run for a fourth term in officem, the BBC reports.

She told her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Berlin she expected her toughest campaign yet and would “fight for our values and our way of life.”

An election is due to be held next year after four years of coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD).

Mrs Merkel’s poll ratings have slipped since the height of her popularity but she retains wide support.

The chancellor, who has been in office since 2005, is also being challenged by the populist right-wing AfD party.

She announced she would stand again after meeting party leaders at CDU headquarters.

She told reporters that the decision to run for a fourth term had been “anything but trivial after 11 years in office.”

She added that she expected challenges from both the right and the left of the political spectrum.