An Armenian prison monitoring group has expressed concern after being denied access to the medical records of Arsen Gevorgyan, who died at Nubarashen prison, saying the restrictions prevent it from fully examining the circumstances of his death.
On November 11, Arman Sahakyan, chairman of the Public Monitoring Group overseeing penitentiary institutions and bodies under Armenia’s Ministry of Justice, and group member Shushan Khnkoyan visited Nubarashen Penitentiary Institution to investigate the death of Gevorgyan, a former candidate for mayor of Stepanavan. The visit was detailed in a statement released by the group.
The observers sought to examine Gevorgyan’s medical records but were refused access on the grounds that the documents contained confidential medical information and information protected by the confidentiality of the preliminary investigation.
Gevorgyan’s lawyers previously alleged that he had not received timely medical assistance after his condition deteriorated. According to the defense, doctors were allowed into the prison only after his death. Armenia’s Penitentiary Service subsequently published a timeline of events based on surveillance footage from the area near his cell.
During their visit, the observers spoke with the prison governor, Gevorgyan’s cellmates and other detainees to establish the circumstances preceding his death.
According to information obtained by the group, Gevorgyan had no known previous health problems. However, on the morning of November 10, he complained of pain in the chest area near his heart.
His cellmates said they alerted prison staff and requested medical assistance. According to the information provided to the observers, prison employees summoned the duty paramedic, who examined Gevorgyan, after which an ambulance was called.
The group was informed that Gevorgyan was still conscious when the ambulance crew arrived, although he was in an extremely critical, near-death condition.
The observers also contacted the Penitentiary Medicine Center, a state non-commercial organization, which explained that the medical records could not be disclosed without Gevorgyan’s written consent to access information protected by medical confidentiality.
In its statement, the monitoring group noted that it had repeatedly raised concerns about restrictions on access to confidential medical information, arguing that they create significant obstacles to effective public oversight of healthcare provision for people deprived of their liberty.
“In this case, the issue is particularly concerning because it involves examining the medical records of a deceased person. Clearly, the Monitoring Group could not have known in advance that the individual would die and therefore could not have obtained the necessary written consent before his death. At the same time, obtaining such consent after the person’s death is no longer possible.
“Under these circumstances, the requirement to protect medical confidentiality effectively obstructs the investigation into the circumstances of the death and prevents the Monitoring Group from assessing, within its mandate, whether the individual received necessary and appropriate medical care,” the statement said.
The group also recalled that it had repeatedly warned of systemic shortcomings in the organization of healthcare services in penitentiary institutions.
The death of 46-year-old Arsen Gevorgyan was recorded on November 10 while he was in custody. Criminal proceedings have been initiated in connection with the incident.
