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Ombudsman of Armenia: Prisoners have to sleep in turn due to prison overcrowding
by Karina Manukyan
ARMINFO
Thursday, July 4, 18:33
Armenian Human Rights Defender has once again raised the problem of
poor conditions in Armenia's penitentiaries.
During today's press conference, Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman)
Karen Andreasyan said that the prison overcrowding is still an
unresolved problem. For instance, in Nubarashen penitentiary there
were 17 prisoners in a ward of 25 sq m, and the number of beds was
10-12. So, the prisoners have to sleep in turn. Similar overcrowding
was registered in Vardeshan penitentiary, wherein there were 6 people
in a ward of 12 sq m.
The Ombudsman qualified the general conditions in penitentiaries as
unsatisfactory. For instance, in Nubarashen penitentiary most of the
wards are damp, and the conditions are unhygienic. The toilet
facilities should be repaired urgently.
The Ombudsman also expressed his concern over the conditions in the
isolation wards in Yerevan and the provinces of Armenia. The
conditions are extremely unsatisfactory and unhygienic (e.g. in
Vardashen and Erebouni penitentiaries). Arrestees with health problems
face such unfavorable conditions, and they are even provided with no
medical assistance (e.g. in Vanadzor penitentiary).
Andreasyan said that he paid a visit to Nubarashen penitentiary with
the UK Ambassador to Armenia Katherine Leach. He added that one of the
life prisoners said that it cannot go on this way, and this concerns
not only the poor conditions in prisons, but also the indifference of
the public and some political forces to the fate of the prisoners. In
the meantime, Andreasyan pointed out some progress in the penitentiary
system of Armenia as compared with that in other CIS countries.
As regards the obstacles in the way of settlement of these problems,
the Ombudsman pointed at the limited budget funds, corruption and the
laws of the underworld, which are the survival of the Soviet times.
"The fact that, unlike other countries, in Armenia prisoners complain
of the bad judiciary system rather than the administration of prisons
is amazing", he said.
From: Baghdasarian
by Karina Manukyan
ARMINFO
Thursday, July 4, 18:33
Armenian Human Rights Defender has once again raised the problem of
poor conditions in Armenia's penitentiaries.
During today's press conference, Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman)
Karen Andreasyan said that the prison overcrowding is still an
unresolved problem. For instance, in Nubarashen penitentiary there
were 17 prisoners in a ward of 25 sq m, and the number of beds was
10-12. So, the prisoners have to sleep in turn. Similar overcrowding
was registered in Vardeshan penitentiary, wherein there were 6 people
in a ward of 12 sq m.
The Ombudsman qualified the general conditions in penitentiaries as
unsatisfactory. For instance, in Nubarashen penitentiary most of the
wards are damp, and the conditions are unhygienic. The toilet
facilities should be repaired urgently.
The Ombudsman also expressed his concern over the conditions in the
isolation wards in Yerevan and the provinces of Armenia. The
conditions are extremely unsatisfactory and unhygienic (e.g. in
Vardashen and Erebouni penitentiaries). Arrestees with health problems
face such unfavorable conditions, and they are even provided with no
medical assistance (e.g. in Vanadzor penitentiary).
Andreasyan said that he paid a visit to Nubarashen penitentiary with
the UK Ambassador to Armenia Katherine Leach. He added that one of the
life prisoners said that it cannot go on this way, and this concerns
not only the poor conditions in prisons, but also the indifference of
the public and some political forces to the fate of the prisoners. In
the meantime, Andreasyan pointed out some progress in the penitentiary
system of Armenia as compared with that in other CIS countries.
As regards the obstacles in the way of settlement of these problems,
the Ombudsman pointed at the limited budget funds, corruption and the
laws of the underworld, which are the survival of the Soviet times.
"The fact that, unlike other countries, in Armenia prisoners complain
of the bad judiciary system rather than the administration of prisons
is amazing", he said.
From: Baghdasarian