At the request of the Human Rights Defender, a rapid response team from the Human Rights Defender’s Office visited the Kentron and Nork-Marash Investigative Department of the Yerevan Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia, where Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, is located. The Human Rights Defender issued a statement on this matter.
During personal interviews conducted during visits by representatives of the Human Rights Defender, representatives of the Human Rights Defender were informed that individuals with procedural witness status were presented to the body conducting the proceedings without due adherence to criminal procedural procedures. The Commissioner has repeatedly addressed this issue and reiterates his position that
Any case of de facto deprivation of liberty must comply with established norms of law and be carried out exclusively within the framework of criminal procedural procedures. These cases will also be under the direct supervision of the Human Rights Commissioner, both in terms of ensuring the protection of citizens’ rights and addressing systemic problems.
The Human Rights Commissioner also considers it unacceptable to create obstacles to access for lawyers arriving at the body conducting the proceedings to provide legal assistance to citizens and to meet with their clients. The Commissioner has always emphasized that access for lawyers and meetings with clients are aimed at ensuring the full enjoyment of citizens’ rights.
Such practices jeopardize the ability of individuals, especially those facing criminal prosecution, to receive legal assistance in the premises of the body conducting the proceedings, as well as the proper exercise of other related rights. Furthermore, during a private conversation, representatives of the Human Rights Commissioner were presented with alarming information regarding the inability of individuals deprived of their liberty to inform another person of their whereabouts.
The Commissioner emphasizes the need to completely eliminate such practices. Given the above, the Commissioner draws the attention of the competent authorities to the current situation, emphasizing the need to urgently resolve the issues that have arisen.
At the same time, the Commissioner, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive, complete, and objective investigation of each criminal case, specifically emphasizes that ensuring respect for human rights and the fundamental principle of the rule of human rights must be paramount in these proceedings.
The results of the visits will be summarized by the Human Rights Commissioner’s staff, and the competent authorities will be asked for the necessary clarifications. We would like to add that, at the request of the Human Rights Commissioner, the Commissioner’s staff maintains contact with lawyers, including by providing them with information about the whereabouts of their clients,” the statement reads.