Armenian rights defenders: it is inhumane to keep seriously ill man in prison until death

In Armenia, 43-year-old Karen Boyadjyan, who was serving his life sentence, died. According to the prisoner's advocate, the Armenian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) was aware of the fatal illness of the prisoner. In connection with the Karen Boyadjyan's death, human rights defenders claimed it had been inhumane to keep a seriously ill person in prison.

At night of November 9, in a state of coma, 43-year-old Karen Boyadjyan was transferred from the penitentiary medical institution "Hospital for Convicts" to the medical centre "Erebuni", where on the same day, he died without regaining consciousness. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Gor Glechyan, Chief of the press service of the Criminal Executive Department of the Armenian Ministry of Justice.

"Forensic examination is appointed to reveal the causes of the prisoner's death," Gor Glechyan has noted.

On November 11, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by advocate Grisha Balasanyan, who represented the interests of several life prisoners at the court, Karen Boyadjyan should have been exempted from further serving of his punishment in connection with his fatal disease.

The purpose of punishment is to correct a prisoner and not to kill him. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Zarui Medjlumyan, Chair of the NGO "Armenian Innocence Project", a journalist of the "Hetq.am".

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.