No Signs of 'Personnel Purge' or 'Getting Rid of Former Staff' in Correctional Service

The Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Justice's Correctional Service of Armenia has clarified media reports regarding a supposed 'personnel purge' within the Correctional Service and claims that the newly appointed head is dismissing previous staff.

In particular, it states: 'Since the appointment of Justice Major General Arthur Goyunyan as the head of the Correctional Service of the Ministry of Justice, information has been circulating in mass media about an alleged 'personnel purge' in the Correctional Service and that the newly appointed director is dismissing previous personnel.

In this regard, we would like to inform that there is no intent for a 'personnel purge' or 'getting rid of former staff' within the Correctional Service, and reports on this matter are fictitious and do not correspond to reality.

It should be noted that, as in any other body, there have been dismissals from positions, new appointments, and transfers in the Correctional Service to organize work more efficiently. At the same time, we add that currently, as part of the ongoing legal organizational reforms in the Correctional Service, there is a natural process of aligning the staffing resources of the system with the key priority directions of the government’s sectoral policy. Within this framework, personnel movements will certainly take place, which is a normal condition for the functioning of any state body, aiming to enrich the system exclusively with personnel who possess the required professional knowledge and sufficient service and work capabilities, as well as with staff devoid of corrupt risks and manifestations.'