Individual, as well as systemic issues are present in the penitentiary system. During a discussion organized by the Defender’s Office, RA Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan mentioned these issues, emphasizing the importance of readiness of the Ministry of Justice to work toward their solution.
Opening remarks for the event, titled “Human Rights Protection in Places of Deprivation of Liberty,” were delivered by RA Minister of Justice Artak Zeynalyan, Head of EU Delegation to Armenia Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Piotr Switalski, the United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative a.i. Dmitry Mariyasin and the Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria.
During the discussion, representatives from the Armenian and Georgian Ombudsman’s staffs detailed features of their respective activities in closed institutions and discussed directions toward resolution of problems.
During the meeting the Armenian Human Rights Defender’s Ad hoc Report on Ensuring the rights of women and minors in the penitentiary system was presented.
The discussion took place in the framework of the project “Support to Human Right Protection in Armenia” financed by the European Union, under the “Torture Prevention” component implemented by the United Nations Development Program.