On the instructions of human rights defender Anahit Manasyan, on April 2, the representatives of the HRD staff visited the "Armavir" penitentiary in order to see Davit Minasyan, who was detained in connection with the St. Anna church incident.
During the visit, the representatives of the Defender had a private conversation with the person deprived of his freedom, as well as examined the documents prepared regarding him.
Some of the raised issues were discussed on the spot with the administration of the penitentiary institution and the staff of the Penitentiary Medicine Center, including to ensure the proper organization of medical supervision.
Special attention was paid to issues related to ensuring the right to education of a person.
The defender emphasizes ensuring the right to life and health of every person deprived of their liberty, emphasizing that the state has a positive obligation to guarantee their safety and proper medical care, as well as the full realization of education and other fundamental rights.
Without addressing the question of the legality of detention in a specific case/cases and maintaining the ban on not interfering with the activities of the courts, Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan has repeatedly emphasized the systemic problems of the practice of using detention as a preventive measure.
The defender reaffirms his position that when choosing detention as a preventive measure, it is necessary to strictly observe the standards related to the legality of its application, taking into account the fact that detention can be applied only when the use of alternative preventive measures is insufficient to ensure the escape of the accused, the commission of a crime by him or the fulfillment of the duties imposed on the accused.
Abuse of the institution of detention, in turn, can seriously damage trust in the entire chain of criminal justice and cause other systemic problems.
The defender's representatives also visited other persons in the "Armavir" prison in order to address the issues related to their rights.
