On January 22, 2015 “Civil Society Institute” NGO with the
support of the European Union organized a conference entitled “Fighting
Impunity for Torture: from Words to Actions”. The aim of the conference was to
present the steps taken to prevent torture in Armenia as well as to discuss the
effectiveness of those steps.

After the welcome speech Mr. Arman Danieyan, President of
CSI, presented the outcome and activities undertaken in the frames of the EU
funded project “Excluding Torture and Forced Confessions as a Ground for Fair
Trial” implemented in 2013-2014.

“The problem of torture is multilayered and it is impossible
to solve it in one day. To solve the problem, of course, political will is
needed, however, that is not enough. There is a need for coordinated actions in
various areas – from organising training sessions for police officers on new
investigation methods and techniques and enhancing technical capacity up to
ensuring effective methods of torture prevention and bringing perpetrators to
justice”. In this regard some steps have been undertaken in the recent years,
in particular the statements made by the Head of Police, creation of a relevant
department at the SIS, drafts laws. However, up-to-date there is no coordinated
program against torture which would involve all the stakeholders”, Mr.Danielyan
stated in his speech.

Mr. Danielyan stressed that there was a need to raise
intolerance of the public towards torture. According to the surveys conducted
in the frames of the project, approximately 30% of the public is tolerant to
torture or believe its application can be justified.

CSI lawyer Anna Melikyan presented “Torture in Armenia in
2013-2014” report published in the frames of the project. The reports addresses
the international and domestic legal framework related to torture, practice of
torture in Armenia, impunity linked with the fact that torture is not duly
criminalized and allegations of torture are not effectively investigated. The
report is enriched with the analysis of interviews conducted with the experts
in the field (judges, SIS investigators, police officers, defense lawyers,
staff of the Ombudsman’s office and representatives of human rights NGOs).

According to Anna Melikyan, the interviews with the experts
demonstrate that there are several factors contributing to the practice of
torture in Armenia: “These are the impunity leading to continuous practice of
torture, legislative gaps, failure to ensure effective investigation, a number
of issues related to police, such as low level of technical capacity, lack of
professional skills and expertise. It has also been mentioned that not all
judges respond adequately to all torture allegations and take appropriate actions
in their regard”.

According to the lawyer, there is also a generic problem,
i.e. lack of trust towards the justice system. As a result, people do not speak
out and lodge complaints on being subjected to torture. The issue of ensuring
the right of torture victims to fair and adequate compensation is also
presented in the report.

CSI also presents around twenty recommendations aimed at
tackling identified issues and raising effectiveness of the fight against
torture in Armenia.

Representatives of the Police, Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry
of Justice and the judiciary as well as representatives of the Ombudsman’s
Office, local and international organisations and diplomatic corps attended the
conference.

The representatives of the Armenian Police and the Ministry
of Justice presented steps and measures undertaken within their justification
aimed at preventing torture and combating impunity for it. Notably, the Special
Investigation Service, which is the main body responsible for investigating
torture cases, refused to participate in the conference and deliver a
presentation.

The report “Torture in Armenia in 2013-2014” is available
both in Armenian and English.