RA Ombudsman Office requests clarification from  relevant state bodies regarding prisoner  beatings at Nubarashen penitentiary

ArmInfo. The Office of the Ombudsman of Armenia has  requested clarifications from  the relevant state bodies  regarding the incident of beating life-sentenced prisoners at the Nubarashen penitentiary institution.

As reported by the press service of the Ombudsman's Office, this request was made following a visit by a rapid response team sent on behalf of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia. As explained by the Office of the Human Rights Defender, the purpose of the visit was to investigate the issues reported in the media and to have personal conversations with prisoners. During this inspection, representatives of the Office of the Defender of Rights spoke with 30 prisoners, including those serving life sentences, and reviewed documents related to the said persons.

"During private conversations, some prisoners informed the representatives of the Ombudsman about the use of disproportionate physical force by employees of the special purpose department of the penal service.  They also mentioned the destruction of property in the cells and insults voiced towards them," the statement from the Office of the Defender of Rights notes.  According to the source,  representatives of the Office of the Defender of Rights recorded physical injuries on some prisoners. The Office of the Ombudsman also mentioned that they received information from monitoring social networks and the media that the prisoners were not receiving the necessary medical care.  As a result, it was ensured that the prisoners were provided with medical care, and two of them received X- rays due to suspicion of injuries. "The information received during the visit and the problems recorded are currently being summarized," the Armenian Ombudsman's Office concluded.