MONITORING OF PRISONS

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
15 Dec 04

The human rights organization `Center for Civil Undertakingsâ=80=9D
founded in October 2002 has been monitoring the prison of Shushi and
the remand prisonsince April 2003. The center sends reports on the
monitoring to the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the ICRC, the UN
Supreme Commissar on Human Rights, the organizations `Amnesty
International’ and `Penal Reform International’, as well as
corresponding agencies in NKR. The director of the Center for Civil
Undertakings Albert Voskanian said, the center has recently received
the permission of the NKR authorities to monitor all the five
regimes. On these days these five regimes have been monitored.

According to Albert Voskanian, the physical and psychological health
of the inmates, human rights, hygiene conditions, foodand recreation
are at a satisfactory level. The Center of Civil Undertakings made a
series of suggestions on elimination of drawbacks. According to the
press release of the organization, the center approves of the
abolition of capital punishment in NKR and appeals to transfer the
penitentiary institutions from the jurisdiction of the police to the
Ministry of Justice. Besides the monitoring the center gave 700 books
gathered by volunteers to the prison of Shushi and the remand
prison. In April 2003 the center held the first regional seminarin
Stepanakert devoted to prison reforms. Besides, the center works with
inmates who need psychological rehabilitation.

NAIRA HAYRUMIAN.
15-12-2004