Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Artur Sakunts, Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor, posted on his Facebook account, ‘In the state of emergency caused by coronavirus epidemic, when physical communication of servicemen and persons deprived of liberty with their relatives are restricted ,and there is also a prohibition on transferring food, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Justice  should ensure the communication of the mentioned groups with the outside world, including their proper communication with their relatives by phone. 

At the same time, the restriction on appointments should not be widespread and on everyone without exceptions. It is necessary to ensure those persons’ connection with the outside world by proper medical examinations in order to prevent the transmission of the infection. Regimes under which those people are controlled imply, by their very nature, varying degrees of isolation from society and relatives. This is quite a serious restriction and a very strict restriction of the right to communicate with the outside world. Moreover, the isolation restrictions aimed at the prevention of coronavirus epidemic make an even greater isolation of persons who are already isolated from both society and their relatives. That is why, it is more than necessary to provide the communication of servicemen and persons deprived of liberty with the outside world by video calls. 

P.S. Take into account that the so-called persons in liberty, who are isolated, have the opportunity to communicate freely by phone, different video calls and thus maintain their social connections and socialization, of which the above-mentioned persons are deprived’.

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