Incident with ex-minister of defense followed by numerous dismissals  - minister 

ArmInfo. The incident with the former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia David Tonoyan  in the criminal correctional institutions of Armenia was followed by numerous dismissals, RA Minister of Justice Grigor Minasyan stated on March 26, at a meeting of the RA National Assembly Commission on  State and Legal Issues.

On August 1, 2023,  when former Defense Minister David Tonoyan was  being transported from the NSS detention center to parliament to  participate in a meeting of the commission on the 44-day war, the  ex-minister asked the guards to allow him to see his mother on the  way. The convoy contacted the head of the Criminal Executive Service,  Sergei Atomyan. The latter allowed Tonoyan to return home and see his  mother, provided that no one knew about it. On August 5, by decision  of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Sergei Atomyan was  relieved of his post. Minasyan assured that regardless of the  circumstances, all those persons who took part in this process no  longer work in the system. An internal investigation was conducted  into this fact, for which, in addition to dismissals, administrative  penalties were also imposed.

The minister also said that the department pays serious attention to  the issue of nutrition for persons serving sentences. He noted that  recently the quality of food has noticeably improved, but the  department sets itself the task of bringing the quality of food for  prisoners to European standards.

The minister also touched upon the issue of such punishment as house  arrest. According to him, of all the verdicts issued, about 500 are  for house arrest. And this, Minasyan continued, is evidence of the  effectiveness of reforms in the probation system. Currently, the  total number of people under arrest is about 1,200 people.

Speaking about the need to prevent the bringing of prohibited items  into penal institutions, the minister emphasized the importance of  applying international experience in this context. In particular, we  are talking about the digitalization of the entire penitentiary  system, and the first step in this direction will be taken in the  Armavir penitentiary institution, so that not a single person can  bypass this "crossroads." In order to use the new electronic system,  the Armenian side chose Chinese equipment that can be used in  Armenia. Negotiations are currently underway with Chinese partners.  Another area of increasing efficiency in the penitentiary system is  the human factor, which is associated with employees of institutions.  They will undergo certification, thanks to which it will be possible  to filter employees and attract the best of their best to the system.