On
December 23, an extended session of the advisory Council on the Prevention of
Torture adjunct to the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia took
place.
The
meeting was attended by representatives of competent state bodies and civil
society members of the advisory Council on the Prevention of Torture adjunct to
the Human Rights Defender.
During
the session, the Human Rights Defender Ms. Anahit Manasyan emphasized that the
prevention of torture and other forms of ill-treatment is one of the priority
directions of the Human Rights Defender’s Office. “I attach importance to the
development and improvement of the sector not only as a Human Rights Defender,
but also as a member of the Council of Europe's European Committee for the
Prevention of Torture (CPT). The effective implementation of this field
provides an opportunity to solve numerous systemic problems within the state.”
The
Defender emphasized the need for interdepartmental and multilateral
cooperation, emphasizing that effective solutions to existing problems in the
field are possible only as a result of joint and coordinated work of state
bodies, civil society and all stakeholders. In this context, she emphasized the
importance of advisory and expert councils adjunct to the Human Rights
Defender, in particular, the Advisory Council on the Prevention of Torture.
During
the session, Ms. Laura Gasparyan, Head of the Department for the Prevention of
Torture and Ill-Treatment and Coordinator of the Implementation of the National
Preventive Mechanism of the Human Rights Defender’s Office, presented the
activities of the National Preventive Mechanism in 2025, including the visits
conducted. It was noted that a total of 58 visits were conducted during the
year, including 30 monitoring visits and 28 ad hoc visits, 10 of which were
personally attended by the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia.
The problems recorded during the visits and their possible solutions were also
discussed.
The
members of the Advisory Council presented their concerns related to the field,
which will be the subject of study within the framework of the National
Preventive Mechanism’s activities for 2026.
Summarizing
the event, the Human Rights Defender Ms. Anahit Manasyan once again emphasized
that the solution to the numerous problems in the field is possible exclusively
through joint efforts. “It is very important that we address the existing
problems with open eyes, raise them and try to find appropriate solutions.”
The
extended session of the advisory Council on the Prevention of Torture adjunct
to the Human Rights Defender was organized within the framework of the European
Union–funded program “Promoting Human Rights Protection and Strengthening
National Institutions”, implemented jointly with the United Nations Development
Programme, UNICEF, and the United Nations Population Fund.
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