ARMENIA SHOULD EMBARK ON NATIONAL TORTURE-PREVENTING MECHANISM ELABORATION

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Nov 12 2007

YEREVAN, November 12. /ARKA/. Armenia should embark on national
torture-preventing mechanism elaboration, Silvia Pogolsa, Human Rights
Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan, said Saturday in an interview
with ARKA News Agency.

She said that Armenia has ratified UN torture-preventing convention
protocol and ought to work out pre-emptive mechanism to fulfil its
commitments.

In her words, Armenia already applies two basic principles of
this mechanism – a monitoring group inspecting penitentiaries and
another monitoring group keeping its eye on human rights in police,
particularly in pre-trial detention facilities.

Pogolsa said that all close state-run establishments such as
orphanages, mental hospitals or army have to no longer be secret.

She said the process has already started in Armenia and expressed
hope for the mechanism introduction within one or two years.

The human rights officer thinks the process that started in due way
is in need of support.

She said there are many ways of putting mechanisms into practice,
and Armenia should choose one of them suitable to it.

Pogolsa said OSCE pledged constant support in this process. he
thinks that effective mechanisms will enable Armenia to fulfill its
commitments by later this year, at least to lay legal groundwork for
putting the mechanism into practice.

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment adopted by UN General Assembly on December 18,
2002, took force on June 22, 2006.