Armen Grigoryan’s death highlights problem of medical care in prisons in Armenia

Participants of a discussion at the Yerevan Media Centre Public Journalism Club say that prison conditions and problems with medical care cause the deterioration in the prisoners’ health state. The topic of discussion was the death of film producer Armen Grigoryan.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on July 15, film producer Armen Grigoryan, accused of inciting ethnic hatred, died during a court hearing. Oppositionists noted that Armen Grigoryan was kept under arrest despite his health problems.

Human rights defender Zarui Ovannisyan notes that any prisoner is under the protection of the state, and it is responsible for ensuring and observing the prisoner’s rights, including the conditions of detention.

According to the human rights defender, the death of film producer Armen Grigoryan raised many questions, including the justification of the pre-trial restriction measure. “The practice of choosing a pre-trial restriction measure at the pre-trial stage has remained unchanged. Arrest is used as an instrument of pressure or punishment,” Zarui Ovannisyan has said during the today's discussion.

The human rights defender also points to the conditions of detention in the prison where Armen Grigoryan was placed. “This penitentiary institution is not a legacy of the Soviet era, it was built recently, but it was built in a bad climate zone, where it is cold in winter and hot in summer. The prison was built with construction violations, and it does not have a ventilation system,” Zarui Ovannisyan said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 20, 2022 at 01:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.