Ani Samsonyan's Claims Do Not Correspond to Reality: Ministry of Justice

Member of the "Enlightened Armenia" faction Ani Samsonyan made several claims in the National Assembly during the announcements time, regarding the restrictions on receiving packages and visits due to the state of emergency, which do not correspond to reality.

By at least utilizing open sources, Ms. Samsonyan could have avoided presenting unverified information from the responsible podium of the National Assembly by asserting that currently only two of Armenia’s 12 penitentiary institutions have implemented a new food supply system. In fact, in nine correctional facilities, the food supply function has been delegated to a private company recognized as the winner of an open tender, and the high quality and variety of the food provided has been repeatedly highlighted by not only the individuals held in penitentiary institutions and their relatives but also a group of public monitors conducting public oversight in the penitentiaries and representatives of human rights organizations.

As for the assumption that the prohibition on accepting packages, parcels, and visits in penitentiary institutions during the state of emergency is aimed at promoting the commerce of shops associated with the institutions, this too has no relation to reality. The prohibition on the relatives of incarcerated individuals bringing packages, parcels, and gifts into the institution is based exclusively on the necessity to safeguard the health of the incarcerated individuals and their close relatives. It should be noted that the issue is not solely about accepting packages but also about minimizing the possible cases of infection entering the institutions. Expanding the circle of individuals who can enter the facility may increase the risk of infection, which is unacceptable for the Ministry.

The measures taken by the state to ensure the right to health protection must take precedence, especially under circumstances where the right to receive packages, parcels, and gifts has only been temporarily restricted due to the declaration of a state of emergency.

When conducting commerce at associated shops, requests are typically accepted once a week, and in the cases where requests are approved, all sanitary rules are maintained. The products obtained as a result of accepted requests are kept for at least one day before being handed over to the recipients to minimize the risk of transmission of infection.

In the case of close relatives, there are existing risks such as 1) the risks of expanding the circle of individuals entering the institution, and 2) the risks associated with increasing the number of possible cases of individuals entering the institution, considering that an incarcerated individual may receive an unlimited number of packages (it is only in the case of detained individuals that a limit of up to 70 kg for package reception applies).

Ultimately, if the acceptance of packages is permitted, it should be understood that, in that case, up to 2,140 individuals may visit the institutions (given that only one person brings the package to the institution). Objectively, allowing 2,140 individuals to enter the institution could lead to an increase in the risks of infection entering, with potentially disastrous consequences.