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ARMENIAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS JUSTIFY LIFE-TERMERS' HUNGER STRIKE
11:21 * 01.07.14
The hunger-strike declared by 29 life-termers as a sign of protest
for not being released on parole is considered a justified measure
by human rights activists in Armenia.
Speaking to Tert.am, Artur Sakunts, the chairman of the Helsinki
Citizens' Assembly's Vanadzor Office, described the state policies in
the justice sector as punitive rather than integration-oriented. "And
that necessitates a clarification of standards and approaches with
regard premature release. On the other hand, they are not willing to
make them clear in an effort to prevent people from appealing [cases].
And besides, it creates a breeding ground for corruption," he
explained.
Expressing his support to the protesting inmates, Sakunts added, "A
convict must not, of course, violate the penitentiary institution's
rules of discipline, but our studies reveal that the internal appeal
mechanisms do not work, as people avoid filing a complaint. I can
even say with certainty that the disciplinary measures have suspicious
justifications."
Commenting on the problem, Chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Committee
Avetik Iskhanyanremembered that no cases of life-termers were revised
in Armenia after the country abolished the death penalty in 2003.
Iskhkanyan said he knows that life-termers, whose number tops a
hundred in Armenia, remain ignored by the authorities. "Their demands
are old demands, and the complaints are justified," he noted.
Asked why the mechanism does not work after all, the activist replied,
"On the one hand, a convict in our reality is considered a criminal
both by the authorities and the society, so the human attitude to
premature release is not [properly] understood by the society. The
attitude to life-termers is even crueler, as they [the society]
immediately begin thinking of a monster upon hearing the word, without
delving deeper into the case," he said, citing political motives as
the third reason.
Armenian News - Tert.am
11:21 * 01.07.14
The hunger-strike declared by 29 life-termers as a sign of protest
for not being released on parole is considered a justified measure
by human rights activists in Armenia.
Speaking to Tert.am, Artur Sakunts, the chairman of the Helsinki
Citizens' Assembly's Vanadzor Office, described the state policies in
the justice sector as punitive rather than integration-oriented. "And
that necessitates a clarification of standards and approaches with
regard premature release. On the other hand, they are not willing to
make them clear in an effort to prevent people from appealing [cases].
And besides, it creates a breeding ground for corruption," he
explained.
Expressing his support to the protesting inmates, Sakunts added, "A
convict must not, of course, violate the penitentiary institution's
rules of discipline, but our studies reveal that the internal appeal
mechanisms do not work, as people avoid filing a complaint. I can
even say with certainty that the disciplinary measures have suspicious
justifications."
Commenting on the problem, Chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Committee
Avetik Iskhanyanremembered that no cases of life-termers were revised
in Armenia after the country abolished the death penalty in 2003.
Iskhkanyan said he knows that life-termers, whose number tops a
hundred in Armenia, remain ignored by the authorities. "Their demands
are old demands, and the complaints are justified," he noted.
Asked why the mechanism does not work after all, the activist replied,
"On the one hand, a convict in our reality is considered a criminal
both by the authorities and the society, so the human attitude to
premature release is not [properly] understood by the society. The
attitude to life-termers is even crueler, as they [the society]
immediately begin thinking of a monster upon hearing the word, without
delving deeper into the case," he said, citing political motives as
the third reason.
Armenian News - Tert.am