Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

13 proposals were made by Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor on the draft of the RA Government’s decision on “Confirming the strategy of 2018-2038 on improving the situation in the RA penitentiary system and the project of events of 2018-2038 for its implementation”. 3 of the proposals were fully accepted, 8 were partly accepted, 2 were not accepted.

On August 24, 2017, the draft was placed in the unified website for publication of legal acts drafts for public discussion.

On September 15, 2017, HCA Vanadzor presented proposals, which were mainly about clarification of actions outcomes and terms, definition of audit standards. They were accepted either fully or in part.

HCA Vanadzor also proposed to make a legislative package about the right of visiting of persons deprived of their liberty and establish a department in the RA Ministry of Justice for combating discrimination and investigating torture and crimes against humans.

However, those proposals were not accepted. The RA Ministry of Justice reasoned the refusal of the proposals by the fact that those actions are already planned by the project of 2017-2019 actions of the national strategy of human rights protection and are being implemented.

See the presented proposals and the replies of the Ministry of Justice to them HERE (in Armenian).

The draft is still placed in the unified website for publication of legal acts drafts for public discussion. HCA Vanadzor will present proposals in this period, as well, in particular, about the terms of the project’s implementation – the determined period of 20 years is not realistic, the terms should not exceed 3 years.