05 January 2012, 20:00
Armenia to start judicial and legal reforms in 2012
As announced by Grair Tovmasyan, the Minister of Justice of Armenia, in 2012 the country will start a programme of judicial and legal reforms aimed at transforming the judicial system.
The programme will last till 2016. The reforms aim to reduce the number of appeals against court decisions and improve the productivity of studying cases by judges, Mr Tovmasyan told reporters.
Speaking about the problems in prisons of Armenia, the Minister of Justice noted that the main challenge in this area now is to reduce the number of deaths among prisoners.
"In 2010, the Armenian penitentiary system registered 37 deaths, and during 2011 – 26 deaths. It's a huge number; and next year it should be cut by at least 20-30 percent. A series of effective measures should be taken to this end," said Grair Tovmasyan.
According to human rights defender Arthur Sakunts, the head of the Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly, the situation in Armenian prisons is becoming worse; the main problem remaining the deficit of places.
Among other problems of the Armenian penitentiary system Mr Sakunts also highlighted the problem of inmates' communication with the outside world and leisure time, noting that such problems give rise to corruption risks.
Author: Lilit Ovanisyan Source: CK correspondent
