OSCE RAISES AWARENESS ON THE RIGHTS OF PRISONERS IN ARMENIA

NOYAN TAPAN
MAY 10,2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN-ARMENIANS TODAY. On 5 May two
OSCE-supported publications - a guide and a brochure on the rights
of detained, arrested and convicted persons in Armenia, were launched
in Yerevan at a round table held at the Criminal-Executive Department
of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia.

The publications were elaborated and updated by a non-governmental
organization, Civil Society Institute as part of a project "New
Perspectives of the Prison Monitoring Group", supported by the
OSCE Office in Yerevan. The publications aim to inform the staff
of penitentiary and detention facilities how they can perform their
duties in line with Armenian legislation and international standards
and to provide the prisoners with detailed guidance on their rights.

"I hope that the guide and brochure will serve as a useful tool
of reference and guidance for the staff of Ministry of Justice and
Criminal-Executive Department in their continued effort to guarantee
the protection of the rights of arrested and convicted persons in
line with domestic legislation and international standards," said
Inna Yeranosyan, Human Rights Programme Representative or Alternate
Human Rights Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Arman Danielyan, the Head of the Civil Society Institute NGO said:
"We believe that raising awareness among the staff of penitentiary
institutions in Armenia on national legal provisions and especially
on international documents and mechanisms will help them to continue
improving and promoting respect for human rights in line with
international standards."

The OSCE Office in Yerevan has worked together with the Ministry of
Justice, state bodies and civil society organizations in Armenia to
promote human rights protection in the penitentiary institutions in
Armenia since its establishment.