Armenia’s NPM hosts discussion on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

A discussion dedicated to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture took place in Yerevan, organized by the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM).

Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan, in her opening remarks, emphasized the importance of the event and the topic for all actors engaged in the protection of human rights.

“I would like to particularly note that this field is quite large, multi-layered, and has many dimensions, and work in this direction presupposes the existence of a number of mechanisms. The primary one is, naturally, the prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment, which again implies a multi-layered process and the availability of proper preventive mechanisms, such as the Office of the Human Rights Defender as a national preventive mechanism and various monitoring groups acting as oversight bodies,” Manasyan said.

According to her, from the perspective of the prevention system, an important role is played by having a proper and favorable environment for reporting cases of torture, because if the environment is not safe and appropriate, then the mechanisms for addressing such cases are also not safe for victims in terms of reporting.

“It is extremely important that representatives of all systems, especially in places of deprivation of liberty—whether penitentiary institutions or detention facilities—and, of course, we also carry out very serious functions in this regard within the armed forces, that service members have proper information about what ill-treatment is and how it should be prevented,” the Human Rights Defender emphasized, highlighting the importance of working in an appropriate format to create an enabling environment, so that, in addition to preventive mechanisms, a safe environment is formed for reporting relevant incidents.

UNDP Resident Representative Natia Natsvlishvili, expressing readiness to continue and strengthen existing cooperation, noted that the European Commission, in its 2023 report, recorded a number of very positive developments in Armenia in terms of the prevention of torture.

However, she added that there are also challenges related to the situation and conditions in specific institutions.

The UNDP representative also emphasized the importance of using digital tools in the prevention of torture in order to increase the effectiveness of monitoring mechanisms through systematic oversight.

Tomasz Ostropolski, Deputy Head of the Political Section of the EU Delegation to Armenia, said that the European Union remains committed to continuing its support to Armenia in this field, as well as to strengthening the work of human rights mechanisms.

From the perspective of protecting the rights of vulnerable groups in Armenia and preventing torture, the speaker emphasized, alongside state and other human rights institutions, the role of civil society, describing it as irreplaceable.

Elīna Šteinerte, member and Vice-Chair for NPM of the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, speaking online, noted that a four-year cooperation has already been established with the responsible bodies of Armenia’s National Preventive Mechanism.

“This event is truly a very important opportunity to understand Armenia’s approach in this field, and I wish us all a truly fruitful discussion, which is very important from the perspective of making Armenian society more protected,” Šteinerte said.

Afterwards, panel discussions began, focusing in particular on existing mechanisms for supporting victims of torture and other topical issues in the field.