Operations of ‘Kosh’ and ‘Hrazdan’ Penitentiary Institutions Halted

The operations of the ‘Kosh’ and ‘Hrazdan’ penitentiary institutions have been halted since January 1. This was stated by Nona Navikyan, the head of the public relations department of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia, in a conversation with 24News on Wednesday.

“All convicts housed in those penitentiaries have been transferred to other functioning penitentiary facilities in the republic, including Nubarashen, Armavir, Sevan, and Artik. All have already been relocated, and none have become beneficiaries of the probation service. Mainly the personnel has also been transferred to other correctional facilities to work, but there are some employees who have entered the staff reserve. At this moment, I cannot say how many are in the staff reserve; a request needs to be made for that,” Navikyan added.

It is noteworthy that on October 28, 2021, the government accepted the proposal to close the two penitentiaries. Justice Minister Karen Andreasian clarified at the session that the closure would also reduce 280 positions, with 70 employees being transferred to other penitentiaries, 50 to the probation service, and the remaining individuals would be placed in the staffing reserve.