On March 13, 2013 Study on Ill-treatment and Torture against Juveniles in
the Republic of Armenia was presented in Yerevan. The study was conducted by Civil Society Institute NGO in cooperation with the Office of Human Rights Defender and funded by UNICEF and Penal Reform International.

“Torture is graver crime than the crime for investigating of which torture
is applied”, said Civil Society Institute President Arman Danielyan in his
opening speech.

UNICEF Armenia representative Henriette Ahrens
stressed in her speech the importance of the compliance of the juvenile justice
system and legal framework of the country to international principles.

“However, improvements in the policy and legal frameworks are not sufficient
to ensure the protection of children of ill-treatment. It is required to set-up
effective mechanism to support victims with the involvement of representatives
of the Police and justice system as well as social workers and psychologists”,
stressed out Ahrens.

According to her, independent investigation of
torture and ill-treatment cases and establishment of the effective complaint
mechanisms are crucial for child rights protection.

The study has revealed violations of the rights of juveniles committed in
course of pre-trial investigation and court proceeding, as well as against
juveniles deprived of their liberty.

86 juveniles in conflict with law were interviewed,
21 % of them were not informed about the reasons for their arrest, 31 % was not
notified about their rights and 60 % of the interviewees were interrogated at
the police in absence of a defense lawyer. 32% believes their verdicts are not
fair.

8 of the interviewed juveniles stated that they had been subjected to
physical violence at the police station.

Study on Ill-Treatment and Torture against
Juveniles in the Republic of Armenia in Armenian and English.