REPAIRED BUILDING OF ABOVIAN PENITENTIARY INSTITUTION’S INVESTIGATION ISOLATION CELL PUT INTO OPERATION

Noyan Tapan
March 18, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The building of the
investigation isolation cell of the Abovian penitentiary institution
was put into operation after major repairs on March 18. Nearly 280m
drams (903 thousand USD) has been allocated from the state budget
for the major repairs and furnishing of the construction. Up to 100
people can be kept at the investigation isolation cell, there are 26
two-berth and four-berth cells.

As Nikolay Arustamian, the RA Deputy Minister of Justice, informed
journalists, infrastructural reforms of penitentiary institutions are
being implemented at present: within the framework of the reforms,
construction of a new penitentiary institution has started in the
territory near Etchmiadzin, repairs and major repairs are being done
in different penitentiary institutions.

Ashot Martirosian, the Head of the Penitentiary Department of the
Justice Ministry, said that the RA President and government have
instructed to create normal communal conditions in all penitentiary
institutions unitl 2010. 2bn 600m drams has been allocated from the
state budget in the current year for implementing construction and
repairs in penitentiary institutions.

The Abovian penitentiary institution is intended for women and
under-age people. 182 convicts are being kept there at present, 133
out of them are women, 49 under-age people. 51 people are being kept
at the investigation isolation cell.