There isn’t a single (presumably state) agency in our country where citizens’ rights aren’t violated, said head of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office Artur Sakunts at a press conference in Yerevan today dedicated to international Human Rights Day. <\/p>\n
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Sakunts pointed to the existence of political prisoners in Armenia, torture of people in custody by police, and non-combat deaths of conscripts, noting that 42 young men have died while serving in Armenia’s armed forces this year and the year is not yet up. <\/p>\n
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“Those committing the violations are being protected; they are supported by law enforcement and judicial authorities. In the country [where such things occur], it must be said that there’s no respect for human rights,” said Sakunts. <\/p>\n
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Another participant in today’s press conference, Rustam Makhmudyan, advisor to the Human Rights Defender, informed the press that approximately 4,000 complaint-appeals were logged in their office this year, and citizens are dissatisfied mainly with the police, the courts, social issues and city hall. <\/p>\n
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“It’s not the human rights defender that is the only remedy to all illnesses and all of us must be involved and united in this process of reinstating rights,” said Makhmudyan. <\/p>\n
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Human rights attorney Edmon Marukyan, in turn, spoke on the state of Armenia’s penal institutions.<\/p>\n
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According to him, the state of affairs in Armenia’s penitentiaries is quite poor: for instance, 20 prisoners are crammed into a cell intended for 8 people, and they take turns sleeping \u2014 once every 3 hours, the shift changes and the next person gets access to a bed. Marukyan noted that until 2008, improvements were taking place in penitentiaries; however, after March 1, 2008, the situation worsened. <\/p>\n
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He noted that incidents of torture are commonplace in police custody. As an example, the human rights attorney described the case of a young man in Tashir who was 5,000 drams (less than $14 US) in debt for cheese, and was subject to a beating while at the police station. The person who hit him was the son of the creditor he owed the debt to. <\/p>\n
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Murakyan also mentioned another case in which the RA Deputy Prosecutor General, without a court ruling, imprisoned a citizen in Nubarashen penitentiary for 28 days. Human rights attorneys appealed to RA Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan a few times regarding this case, requesting that a criminal case be launched against his deputy and head of the Nubarashen penitentiary; however, the human rights defenders are still waiting for a response.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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