Armenian Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan has said the ministry neither orders nor requests pretrial detention but is interested in ensuring that it is applied only in exceptional cases, as penitentiary facilities have limited capacity, Factor.am reported.
The minister said Government Decree No. 825-N, which establishes the list of serious illnesses incompatible with detention or serving a prison sentence, is being reviewed jointly with the Health Ministry. A new decision is expected soon to make the mechanism more flexible.
Galyan noted that medical services in penitentiary institutions had previously been transferred from the Justice Ministry to the Health Ministry. According to her, improvements have been made in medication supplies, emergency response and hospital conditions.
Asked whether detention remained the primary preventive measure, Galyan cited figures showing that more than 3,000 people are currently under house arrest or administrative supervision. Bail and written undertakings not to leave a designated area are also used.
She said that while the numbers of pretrial detainees and convicted prisoners had been approximately equal for five years, convicted prisoners outnumbered pretrial detainees by several hundred last year and this year.
Separately, Galyan rejected suggestions that disciplinary proceedings against Judge Gevorg Manukyan, who is hearing the case involving Bishop Arshak Khachatryan, could undermine judicial independence.
She said the proceedings were initiated because the judge had recused himself, which was considered an avoidance of administering justice. Similar proceedings had been initiated against other judges on the same grounds, she added, denying any connection to cases involving clergy or politically sensitive criminal proceedings.
The remarks come after the death of Arsen Gevorgyan, the Strong Armenia party’s candidate for head of the Stepanavan community, at Nubarashen prison on November 10. The Penitentiary Service said he had reported no health complaints during his detention. An ambulance was called at approximately 7:55 a.m. after he became unwell, and medical personnel confirmed his death at around 8:30 a.m.
