Deputy Minister of Justice: "In the near future we will have the opportunity to ensure professional education and jobs for persons being kept at penitentiary institutions"

Today, Deputy Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan participated in the conference entitled "Challenges and Reforms: Human Rights in Closed Institutions". The deliverables of the two-year Project "A Public Glimpse into a Closed World: Human Rights Situation in Closed Institutions in Armenia" were summed up during the conference.

On behalf of the Ministry of Justice, the Deputy Minister expressed gratitude for turning the project into a reality, attached importance to the role and significance of journalists in identifying the problems existing in closed institutions and stressed that the issues raised by journalists, the Group of Monitors and the Office of the Human Rights Defender are in the focus of the Ministry. In this context, Srbuhi Galyan informed that the solutions to the issues existing at penitentiary institutions are encompassed in the draft Strategy for Penitentiary and Probation Sectors. "Today, we have the opportunity to solve the problems that have been radicalised and petrified for years at penitentiary institutions. We are going to build new penitentiary institutions, ensure dignified conditions for serving punishment, carry out activities for
re-socialisation and improve the quality of medical services provided to convicted and detained persons. This means that in the near future we will have the opportunity to implement the professional education of persons being kept at penitentiary institutions and provide them with jobs," the Deputy Minister said and called on partnering
non-governmental organisations to come up with relevant proposals and implement relevant programmes.

Within the scope of the conference, Head of the Division for Drafting Penitentiary Policies of the Ministry of Justice Arpine Sargsyan participated in the discussion on the human rights situation in closed institutions in Armenia and presented the activities being implemented to solve the problems existing at penitentiary institutions.

During the media contest held within the scope of the Project, correspondent of Forrights.am of the “Journalists for Human Rights” NGO Rafik Yengibaryan was awarded a Letter of Appreciation of the Minister of Justice for covering the lives and problems of convicts being kept under open regime.