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CPT on Armenia: some progress in countering informal prisoner hierarchy, but material conditions in prisons should be urgently improved

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published the report on its September 2023 periodic visit to Armenia (see also the executive summary), together with the response of the Armenian authorities. The delegation examined the situation of persons deprived of their liberty by the police and the military, of persons in several prisons, the Central Prison Hospital, and in social care homes (“internats”).

As for conditions in police custody, most of the persons interviewed by the delegation stated that they had been treated correctly by the police. However, the delegation gathered some allegations of recent physical ill-treatment of persons detained by the police, notably during questioning, reportedly with the aim of extracting a confession or obtaining other information.

Regarding prisons, the CPT delegation did not receive any allegations of physical ill-treatment by staff in the penitentiary establishments visited. The power of the informal prisoner hierarchy seems to have diminished, in part thanks to the recent criminalization of membership in prison subculture and the decision taken by the prison administration to segregate some of the most influential and least compliant “crime bosses” at Yerevan-Kentron Prison. However, inter-prisoner violence has not yet been fully eradicated, especially in Nubarashen and Artik Prisons. The CPT has recommended taking resolute steps to put an end to the informal prisoner hierarchy influence.

As for the material conditions in prisons, the ongoing comprehensive refurbishment of Abovyan Prison was a positive development, but for the rest, conditions continued to be generally very poor at Nubarashen Prison, and mediocre at best at Armavir and Artik Prisons.

 Press release
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee on Armenia: some progress in countering informal prisoner hierarchy, but material conditions in prisons should be urgently improved

STRASBOURG Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) 13 NOVEMBER 2024
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 Start date: 1 January 2023

 Duration: 24 months

 Funding: EUR 500,000, onors contributing to the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023–2026 

 Leaflet of the project

Partners: Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, Probation Service

Built upon the results achieved from the implementation of the Project “Support the scaling-up of the probation service in Armenia”, the Project “Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia” financed by Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023 – 2026 assisted national authorities in facilitating the use of probation services in the country, thus enhancing community safety and the fair administration of justice.

It was implemented in close cooperation and partnership with the Ministry of Justice and State Probation Service, as well as other national stakeholders, including civil society organisations active in are of probation.

The Project accomplished the following outcomes:

  • The knowledge and skills of probation officers on probation methods, risks and needs assessment tool and rehabilitation programmes were enhanced thanks to effective and sustainable training centres and regular staff evaluation;
  • The co-operation among all actors of the criminal justice system on the basis of a shared understanding of new Probation service functions and respective roles and responsibilities was enhanced;
  • The accessibility by offenders to effective rehabilitation/resocialisation programmes was enhanced;
  • E-probation system was further updated and supported to become operational.

The key documents for this Project are Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)1 on the Council of Europe Probation Rules, Recommendation CM/Rec(2017)3 on the European Rules on community sanctions and measures, Recommendation CM/Rec(2014)4 on electronic monitoring, Rec. R (2003) 22 concerning conditional release, 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).

Reference documents