NGOs demand an independent investigation into the death of a citizen in Nubarashen psychiatric hospital

Yesterday it became known that the citizen who was transferred to the National Mental Health Care Center after being arrested for tearing up a pre-election poster committed suicide. Armen Hovhannisyan was arrested for tearing up a pre-election poster, in connection with which proceedings were initiated in the Investigative Committee, within which he was not charged yet.

“Tearing or tearing the pre-election campaign poster is an administrative offense according to RA legislation, provided for in Article 40.11 of RA legislation on administrative offenses and as a consequence causes the imposition of a fine.” Meanwhile, the RA Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings, within the framework of which the person was illegally and arbitrarily arrested, violating his right to freedom. It is continuously recorded that the means of restricting freedom are applied by law enforcement agencies disproportionately and have a punitive nature,” the statement said.

According to the NGOs, what happened is a record of a number of systemic problems of fundamental human rights. “Once again, the illegal, arbitrary and disproportionate use of criminal legal instruments in Armenia is documented, according to political expediency.”

According to NGOs, this case is not unique, and “in previous years, effective investigations and public accountability were not carried out regarding cases of alleged suicide by persons in prisons, not only in order to find out the circumstances of the case and ensure responsibility, but also in order to highlight systemic gaps and introduce and apply proper suicide prevention mechanisms.”

They demand from the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Prosecutor General’s Office to conduct an independent and effective investigation not only into the circumstances of Armen Hovhannisyan’s alleged suicide, but also into the legality of depriving him of his liberty and placing him in a mental health care center. They also demand to bring to justice all officials who violated Hovhannisyan’s rights.