17th Death Recorded This Year in Prison: Garnik Danielyan

Member of Parliament from the "Hayastan" faction, Garnik Danielyan, has reported another death case at the "Armavir" penitentiary. According to circulating information, the deceased was forcibly displaced from Artsakh. Despite acute health issues and numerous complaints, the detainee was not transferred to a medical facility and did not receive proper medical assistance.

The lawyer of the deceased detainee has addressed the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and the Prosecutor General, demanding an immediate and thorough investigation into the circumstances of the detainee's death.

“I have repeatedly voiced concerns that the dire conditions in prisons have led to an increase in fatalities among inmates. Proper medical assistance is not provided, there are issues with medication, and detainees with serious health problems are not transferred to medical facilities. In the best case, those deprived of their liberty have to wait several months for their turn. However, even during this time, unfortunate outcomes are unavoidable,” Danielyan stated.

“In several cases of illnesses that could lead to death, medical services should be rendered as a matter of urgency. It is noteworthy that this is already the 17th death recorded in penitentiary institutions in Armenia this year. Suicides and self-harm incidents are also alarmingly high,” he added.

Danielyan emphasized that he has repeatedly raised the issues regarding basic living conditions, sanitary-hygienic conditions, water quality, and proper medical service provision in prisons, both from the parliamentary podium and by personally presenting proposals to the responsible authorities.

He also noted that the authorities persistently continue to ignore the issues. “Under such conditions, even a healthy person may contract various illnesses if imprisoned. Once again, I invite the attention of the relevant authorities, including the Minister of Justice of Armenia and the Human Rights Defender, to this issue. Systemic changes are urgently needed in this sector; otherwise, we will witness even more dismal statistical data,” concluded Garnik Danielyan.