According to the web page of the human rights defendant office, in the period after the events of March 1 the ombudsman has issued an instruction to create an ad hoc commission to visit the prisons and meet 3 people who have been beaten or tortured.
The mentioned ad hoc commission has met with 50 detainees in the Nubarashen, Vardashen, Yerevan-Kentron, Vanadzor, Artik, the prisoners’ hospital cells, most of which, according to them, have not agreed with the accusations brought against them. According to the detainees, the accusations brought against them have mere political motives and have no grounds. 3 out of the mentioned 50 detainees said that they had been beaten and tortured while being arrested. Two of these people are in the Nubarashen prisons. By the way, according to the information posted in the web page, during the visits of the mentioned ad hoc commission no cases of illegal pressure have been observed.
In the Yerevan-Kentron cells
On March 17 the ad hoc commission convened by the decision of the human rights defendant of Armenia visited the Yerevan-Kentron cells. The head of the mentioned police station informed the commission that they had 18 arrested citizens in their station. However, the ad hoc commission could meet only 6 of them. They did not agree with the accusations brought against them and said that all the allegations had political motives and did not have any grounds. By the way, one of the detainees in this police station refused to meet with the representatives of the human rights defender. “The detainees have not submitted any complaints concerning violations of the criminal and judicial law,” writes the human rights defendant’s internet page.
In the Nubarashen cells
The representatives of the human rights defendant have visited the Nubarashen prison twice – on March 14 and March 17. During these two visits they met with 24 detainees. The statement of the human rights defendant office does not clearly specify how many of those detainees have not agreed with the accusations brought against them. “During our conversations with the detainees most of them did not agree with the accusations against them. They assure that such accusations have no grounds and have mere political reasons. The representatives of the human rights defendant have explained that the one to decide whether the facts of accusations are proven or have no grounds is the court jurisdiction and that the ombudsman does not have the power to interfere with their activities. They also explained that in this phase the ombudsman has the right to investigate the cases of criminal and judicial law violations against those persons and prevent such illegal activities and recover their rights,” writes the statement issued by the human rights defendant. The statement does not write the number of the detainees in the Nubarashen prison. It writes only that 20 detainees in the Nubarashen prisons have been provided with lawyers. One of them said that he did not have a lawyer and demanded to bring a lawyer for him. He also said that he had been obliged to refuse the services of a lawyer. Another citizen has said that when he asks them to bring a lawyer for him, they proceed his application with delay, thus they don’t provide him with a lawyer in a duly manner. 3 of them said that they had refused such legal services but hence they want,” writes the statement of the ombudsman.
9 detainees said that after being arrested they were provided with the corresponding status with violations of the regulations established by the criminal code.
It is worth mentioning that according to the information of the general public prosecutor’s office, there were 70 detainees in the Nubarashen prison as of March 19. 2 detainees from Nuabarashen said that when being arrested they were beaten.
One of the detainees in Nubarashen is a person with disabilities (cannot hear and speak). According to his cellmate, he has been arrested during the March 1 clash. The mentioned statement also writes that the ombudsman’s office is doing some works and procedures in the manner established by the RA law on the human rights defendant.
In the prisoners’ hospital
There is only one detainee in this place, who is Gagik Jhangiryan’s brother Vardan Jhangiryan. The ad hoc commission on human rights protection visited this place and met with Vardan Jhangiryan on March 12. The latter said that he had tuberculosis. According to him, at that time his health conditions were comparatively better. He said that he was accused in refusing to obey the orders of the representatives of the authorities and carrying illegal weapon. He said that the accusations against him had no grounds and had mere political motives. He also said that he did not have any complaints concerning the work of the mentioned prison hospital staff.