The conditions in the “Nubarashen” penitentiary are the worst compared to others: Head of Penitentiary Service

“The conditions in the ‘Nubarashen’ penitentiary, when viewed in comparison, are the worst among our penitentiary institutions, and for that reason this year we are carrying out certain studies to find alternatives to the ‘Nubarashen’ penitentiary institution.” This is what the Head of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice, Tsovinar Tadevosyan, told reporters in the National Assembly today, December 8.

“Of course, we understand how poor those conditions are and we are implementing local solutions in that regard: cells have been renovated there, long-term visit rooms have been renovated as well. These are local solutions, but the condition of the building itself is such that we are unable to provide systemic solutions, so now the issue of finding alternative solutions is being discussed,” she said.

Referring to the health problems of persons held in penitentiary institutions, Tsovinar Tadevosyan said: “The answer to this question lies within the competence of the Penitentiary Medicine Center and the Ministry of Health. I can only share my observations. Yes, there are cases when I, as an ordinary citizen without medical education, think that this person is probably not fit to serve their sentence in a penitentiary institution. In such cases, we communicate with our colleagues at the Ministry of Health, and they initiate the necessary steps,” she noted.