23 Escapes from House Arrest in One Year: Where Are They? No One Knows

While the authorities exercise near-constant surveillance over individuals involved in political cases, it turns out that within just one year, there have been 23 reported escapes from house arrest. Moreover, the Probation Service lacks even basic statistics on whether these individuals have been located, writes the newspaper "Zhakhovourd."

The newspaper sent an inquiry to the Minister of Justice, Srbuhi Galstyan, and in response, the Ministry of Justice stated that as of 2025, 2,053 people were registered under alternative supervision in the Probation Service, while currently 951 individuals are under house arrest.

However, the most noteworthy aspect pertains to the data regarding the escapes. According to the official response, between January 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026, there have been 23 reported escape cases of individuals under house arrest. In other words, people have simply left the house arrest system, and in some cases, committed repeat offenses.

But here's where it gets interesting. The ministry effectively admits that it does not have further data regarding how many escape cases have been resolved, how many individuals have been found, how many are still being sought, or have been returned under supervision. As indicated in their response, "statistical tracking is impossible."

This creates a paradoxical situation: the state is keeping people under house arrest but lacks a complete picture of how many have escaped, where they are, and whether they continue to pose a risk to society.

However, the scenario is different when it comes to regular criminal cases involving serious offenders; individuals escape from house arrest, and the system has no statistics regarding their fates. Ultimately, if house arrest is presented as an effective alternative to deprivation of liberty, how is it that dozens of people can violate restrictions, while responsible authorities cannot provide a clear answer as to whether they have been found or not?

For more details, refer to the source.