Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

The indices were calculated according to the countries. The indicators include assessments of state means and mechanisms of prevention of and response to torture, judicial supervision, the existence of torture prohibition norms in domestic legislation, as well as the compliance of the state with the international obligations of torture prevention. 

The indices are presented for 8 countries of the OSCE region: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine. 

Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – Vanadzor and Armenian Helsinki Committee were involved in the working group from Armenia.

During the development of the indices, representatives of the working group encountered a number of problems. As to the part on Armenia, for example, the problems of collecting information were related to the absence of clear statistics. In particular, it is not clear how many torture complaints were presented, how many criminal cases were initiated and how many of them were sent to Court. The same problem was also encountered in Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. 

Besides, the degree of investigators’ workload of torture cases is also not clear in Armenia.  

This publication of indices is a pilot one. The working group envisages publishing indices annually on 26 June, i.e. on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Further, the geographical coverage of the research will expand and include other OSCE countries, as well.  

The full picture of Armenia’s indices is available HERE

The original is available in civicsolidarity.org 

Below we present some statistical data regarding criminal cases on torture in the Republic of Armenia in 2019, based on the annual report of the Human Rights Defender, responses to inquiries by Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor and the data presented in DataLex system. 

Thus, in 2019, the RA Special Investigation Service investigated 130 torture cases, 99 of which were initiated in 2019. 

55 cases were initiated under Article 309.1 (Torture) of the RA Criminal Code. 34 of them were discontinued, 6 cases were suspended, 5 cases were attached to other cases, 3 cases were sent to Court, 7 cases are in the preliminary investigation stage. 

2 cases were investigated under Article 341 part 3 of the RA Criminal Code (Forcing by the judge, the prosecutor, the investigator or the body of inquiry to give testimony or explanation or a false conclusion or an incorrect translation). Both of the cases were discontinued.

73 cases were initiated under Article 309 (Exceeding official authorities) part 2 of the RA Criminal Code. 40 of them were discontinued, 10 of them were suspended, only 2 cases were sent to Court, 10 cases were attached to other cases, 5 cases were sent to another body, 6 cases are in the preliminary investigation stage.

In 2019, the Court made 3 bills of indictment in the frame of torture cases. In 2 of them, amnesty was applied, and in the third case, they were released on the ground of expiration of the statute of limitations.  

Though in one case the Court made a judgment of acquittal, the judgment was overturned and the case was sent for a new investigation.