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 Second joint Steering Committee Meeting of Armenian projects

Building on the Council of Europe's commitment to protecting human rights in Armenia, the projects "Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons in Detention" and "Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia" set the agenda for first half of 2024. At their joint Steering Committee Meeting in Yerevan on 6 December 2023, the key project partners reflected on the achieved progress and adopted 6-months’ Work Plans.

To date, notable steps include fostering collaboration among state agencies on probation and penitentiary services, identifying barriers to mediation in Armenian probation, enhancing the rehabilitation portfolio with a programme for probationers facing addiction issues, discussing the introduction of evaluation criteria and monitoring instruments for probation work, and revising data collection methodology for the Risk and Needs Assessment (RNA) tool.

Other accomplishments encompass facilitating the transfer of the Prison Medicine Centre to the Ministry of Health, enhancing staff capabilities, pioneering the application of a new RNA tool for inmates in Armenian prisons, providing instructions on telemedicine as well as recommendations on resocialisation programmes, and implementing initiatives for self-harm and suicide prevention within prison facilities. Progress has also been made in fostering cooperation within the criminal justice system, exemplified by the launch of the the development of a comprehensive guideline for applying alternative measures to detention, such as house arrest and administrative control.

The Steering Committee will continue ensuring refinement of project plans towards their objectives in a comprehensive and inclusive approach, supporting a shared commitment of project partners to achieving a meaningful and sustainable development in the field of human rights and justice in Armenia.

The Projects are financed within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026 and implemented by the Council of Europe.

Armenia 07.12.2023