CPT/Inf (2016) 31 Report to the Armenian Government on the visit to Armenia carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 5 to 15 October 2015 The Armenian Government has requested the publication of this report and of its response. The Government’s response is set out in document CPT/Inf (2016) 32. Strasbourg, 22 November 2016 In accordance with Article 11, paragraph 3, of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, certain names have been deleted. - 3 - CONTENTS Copy of the letter transmitting the CPT's report ............................................................................5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................6 I. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................10 A. Dates of the visit and composition of the delegation ............................................................10 B. Establishments visited.............................................................................................................11 C. Consultations held by the delegation and co-operation encountered.................................12 D. Immediate observations under Article 8, paragraph 5, of the Convention .......................13 E. National Preventive Mechanism ............................................................................................14 II. FACTS FOUND DURING THE VISIT AND ACTION PROPOSED ..............................16 A. Police establishments ..............................................................................................................16 1. Preliminary remarks .....................................................................................................16 2. Ill-treatment ...................................................................................................................17 3. Investigations into cases possibly involving ill-treatment by the police ...................21 4. Safeguards against ill-treatment ..................................................................................24 5. Conditions of detention .................................................................................................26 B. Military detention facilities ....................................................................................................27 C. Penitentiary establishments ...................................................................................................30 1. Preliminary remarks .....................................................................................................30 2. Ill-treatment and inter-prisoner violence ....................................................................33 3. Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment....................................................................34 4. Conditions of detention of the general prison population..........................................38 a. material conditions .................................................................................................38 i. follow-up visit to Nubarashen Prison...........................................................38 ii. follow-up visit to Yerevan-Kentron Prison ...................................................39 iii. Armavir Prison .............................................................................................40 iv. Vanadzor Prison ...........................................................................................41 b. activities .................................................................................................................42 - 4 - 5. Health care .....................................................................................................................43 a. staff and facilities ...................................................................................................43 b. medical screening on admission/prevention of violence .......................................45 c. transmissible diseases.............................................................................................47 d. psychiatric care and psychological assistance........................................................48 e. follow-up visit to the Central Prison Hospital........................................................50 6. Other issues of relevance to the CPT’s mandate ........................................................52 a. prison staff..............................................................................................................52 b. discipline and segregation ......................................................................................54 c. contact with the outside world ...............................................................................56 d. complaints and inspection procedures ...................................................................57 D. Psychiatric establishments .....................................................................................................58 1. Preliminary remarks .....................................................................................................58 2. Ill-treatment ...................................................................................................................59 3. Patients’ living conditions .............................................................................................59 4. Staff and treatment........................................................................................................62 5. Means of restraint..........................................................................................................64 6. Safeguards ......................................................................................................................67 APPENDIX: LIST OF THE NATIONAL AUTHORITIES AND ORGANISATIONS MET BY THE CPT'S DELEGATION .................................................................................71 - 5 - Copy of the letter transmitting the CPT's report Mr Armen PAPIKYAN Ambassador Permanent Representative of Armenia to the Council of Europe 40, allée de la Robertsau 67000 Strasbourg Strasbourg, 24 March 2016 Dear Ambassador, In pursuance of Article 10, paragraph 1, of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, I enclose herewith the report to the Armenian Government drawn up by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) after its visit to Armenia from 5 to 15 October 2015. The report was adopted by the CPT at its 89th meeting, held from 7 to 11 March 2016. The various recommendations, comments and requests for information formulated by the CPT are highlighted in bold in the body of the report. As regards more particularly the CPT’s recommendations, having regard to Article 10, paragraph 1, of the Convention, the Committee requests the Armenian authorities to provide within six months a response giving a full account of action taken to implement them. The CPT trusts that it will also be possible for the Armenian authorities to provide, in the response requested within six months, reactions to the comments formulated in this report as well as replies to the requests for information made. As regards the information requested in paragraph 64, the CPT asks that it be provided within one month. The CPT would ask, in the event of the responses being forwarded in Armenian, that they be accompanied by an English or French translation. I am at your entire disposal if you have any questions concerning either the CPT's visit report or the future procedure. Yours sincerely, Mykola GNATOVSKYY President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment - 6 - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The CPT’s 4th periodic visit to Armenia provided an opportunity to assess the measures taken by the Armenian authorities in response to the recommendations made by the Committee after previous visits. In this connection, particular attention was paid to the safeguards against ill- treatment of persons in police custody and the material conditions, regime and health care service in prisons. The delegation also visited psychiatric establishments in order to examine the treatment and legal safeguards offered to patients hospitalised on an involuntary basis. Police establishments The delegation received a small number of allegations of police ill-treatment, most of them referring to excessive use of force upon apprehension, which would suggest that there had been an improvement in this area. The delegation, however, did gather other indications, including of a medical nature, that the phenomenon of ill-treatment by the police was not entirely eradicated. A key factor in this respect was that the procedure for recording injuries observed on persons brought to police detention facilities failed to perform the function of preventing ill-treatment. In particular, such examinations routinely took place in the presence of police officers who had brought in the person, the explanations of the detained persons as to the origin of their injuries were usually not sought and not recorded, and the health-care staff did not attempt to assess the degree of consistency between any such explanations that were