The head of Helsinki Association Michael Danielyan criticizes the RA Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan for not allowing their organization to hold a monitoring.

Danielyan announced this on February 22 while presenting "2011 report on Human Rights in Armenia". He finds the reason inadmissible that the summary of results of previous year monitorings caused the complaint of condemned, detainees and employees of Penitentiary Department.

We gathered people who were released from prisons in 2010-2011 and gave them questionnaires to find out what the condition in prisons is. The condition is not improving and when Hrayr Tovmasyan says he is conducting reforms it is not true as he doesn't know what is going on in Armenia" said Danielyan.

In this report Danielyan also criticized the decision of the Central Election Commission according to which the non-governmental organizations must be certified to carry out an observation mission at the elections.

He touched upon the amendment to Article 5 of the law "On Attorneys" according to which the court representation and its organizing as regular or fee service can be implemented only by the attorney. Danielyan thinks that the rights of people who do not have money to hire an attorney are violated.

The attorney of Helsinki Association Nina Karapetyants mentioned the shortcoming in the judicial system. She finds it inadmissible that RA Court of Cassation may not accept the case as proceedings and don't give any explanation for that.

 "We are losing the Court of Appeals as the decision of Court of first instance is considered in a cassation order, i.e. the court hears the appeals of both parties and immediately retires to make a verdict. In other words, the defense doesn't have an opportunity to be defended which is unacceptable when people are accused of serious crimes" said the attorney.

According to the attorney the expert examinations are formal in Armenia; so many examinations are assigned till the result of examination is with the wish of the prosecutor  and the judge accepts it without any logic. Nina Karapetyants is convinced that it has become a tradition for the court to appoint a preliminary detention and the overcrowding of Nubarashen penitentiary is a result of those decisions.

You can find the whole 2011 report of Helsinki Association  on Human Rights in Armenia here:

Karine Ionesyan

Source: www.hra.am