ArmInfo.The Council of Europe is ready to assist Armenia in implementing reforms in the criminal justice sector. This was stated by Director of the Council of Europe Office in Armenia, Maxim Longange, during the regular meeting of the Coordination Council, which was held within the framework of the "Strengthening the protection of the rights of persons deprived of their liberty" and "Support to strengthening the probation service in Armenia" programs. The meeting was held with the participation of Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan.
He noted that the goal of the reforms carried out within the framework of the action plan for 2023-2026 is to bring the penal and probation services of Armenia in line with international standards. "We are making efforts to complete the necessary initiatives in this direction. At the same time, we highly appreciate the efforts to document information on ill-treatment and torture," the Head of the Office said. During the meeting, the participants discussed the work carried out in January-May within the framework of the "Strengthening the Protection of the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty" and "Support to Strengthening the Probation Service in Armenia" programs and approved an action plan for the next 7 months.
During the meeting, Arpine Sargsyan emphasized the importance of documenting obvious manifestations of ill-treatment in places of detention in accordance with the Istanbul Protocol (Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment).
She also pointed out the need for a complete revision of the RA Law "On the Care of Detainees and Arrested Persons" and "On the Development of Ambulance Capacity".