Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention in Armenia

Building upon the results achieved from the implementation of the Project “Enhancing healthcare and human rights protection in prisons in Armenia”, the Project “Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention” financed by Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023 – 2026 assists the Armenian authorities to further enhance penitentiary reform and prison health care, and the protection of the human rights of persons deprived of liberty. The Council of Europe is providing support at policy and operational levels assisting authorities to accomplish penitentiary reform goals and trigger changes in practices throughout the prison system especially after the adoption of the Criminal Code, Criminal Procedural Code as well as Penitentiary Code in June 2022.
The Project is implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Prison Medicine Centre, as well as other stakeholders including the civil society organisations.
The Project focuses on following priority areas:

Further enhancing the institutional capacity of the Prison Medicine Centre in order to provide quality health care in the penitentiary system;
Further consolidating the knowledge and skills of medical and non-medical staff on different topics on provision of health care;
Strengthening the capacities of prison staff to apply tools and rehabilitation programmes for persons deprived of liberty;
Harmonizing the regulatory framework on human rights with the new Penitentiary Code.

The key Conventions for this Project are the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), as well as the findings and the recommendations of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The duration of the Project was set at 24 months, and it was completed on 31 December 2024, with an overall budget of 550 000 Euros.

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Back Assessment mission to assist with efficient transfer of Penitentiary Medicine Centre

On 15-17 April 2023, a mission was conducted in Armenia to assess the needs of the Penitentiary Medicine Centre with a view to assisting with its efficient transfer from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Health.

The three-day mission included bilateral meetings, discussions with national partner institutions, especially the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health. International and national consultants visited “Armavir” and “Abovyan” penitentiaries, Prisoners’ Hospital, Abovyan Medical Centre and civil hospitals to identify and discuss the needs of the Penitentiary Medicine Centre, including shortcomings of primary and secondary healthcare and the relevant legal framework.

Following the completion of the needs assessment mission, a comprehensive assessment report will be prepared and shared with the stakeholders to be used as a road map for improving the prison healthcare system and ensuring smooth operation of the Penitentiary Medicine Centre under the administration of the Ministry of Health. A Government Decree on the transfer was adopted on 27 April 2023.

The mission was implemented within “Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention” project which is financed within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.

Armenia 25.05.2023