The death of the former Armenian KVN, producer and oppositionist Armen Grigoryan drew the attention of human rights activists to terrible conditions of detention in Armenian prisons. Recall that the state of Grigoryan worsened during the preliminary hearings in the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction. The Ministry of Health was justified by the fact that during a medical examination, Grigoryan was diagnosed with arterial hypertension and vegetoneurosis, but during the detention he, according to the department, he did not present any complaints about his health.
According to the representative of the Ombudsman of Armenia Laura Gasparyan, about 50% of people deprived of liberty have chronic diseases. In prison, the state of their health, as a rule, worsens: there are no elementary living conditions, treatment is not provided.
In Armavir prison, more than 900 people contain. People with health problems are in line for months. Even a medical examination should be waiting for weeks.
“Firstly, there are no equipment for examinations, it is old, there were even cases when the convict was supposed to be delivered from prison to the hospital, and the car on the road was failing. The second – the problem of professionalism, possibly the good faith of the medical service,” – The human rights activist said the Armenian media.
People go to extreme measures – acquaintance, hunger strike, often with a demand for medical care.
The human rights activist recalled that the Armavir prison was built under the previous authorities in a bad place (it is cold in winter and very hot in the summer), with total violations of building codes, “imagine what it means to be in the cell without ventilation at least 23 hours “.
After 60 days of a hunger strike, Armen Mnzakanyan died on June 28. According to the spouse, a man who, including a dry hunger strike, was transported from prison to prison, from one institution to another, in Armavir he was blocked by water (according to her, for this prison this is the norm: relatives buy and bring water for prisoners) .
“from 96 kilograms lost to 39 kg. 600 gr. The person had already stopped a hunger strike, said that he wanted to eat, but they did not provide a restoration treatment. They demanded to sign some documents, and he was so weak that he could not raise his hand … “. The competent authorities in response denied their guilt: Mnatsakanyan himself refused treatment.
According to Gasparyan, in 2021, only 153 cases of hunger strike were recorded in Armavir prison. Part of them protested against the verdict, as in the case of Mnatsakanyan, the other complained about the conditions of detention. Many are trying in this way to achieve the provision of medical care. All these people have health problems.
“We limit ourselves to daily medical supervision, so to speak. Sometimes the situation is aggravated … These limited monitoring do not make it possible to correctly assess the state of human health and provide medical assistance,” said the representative of the Ombudsman office.