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.