US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN1792

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001792 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/CACEN, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, AM 
SUBJECT:  CIVIL MONITORING BOARD BEGINS PRISON VISITS 
 
1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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2. (SBU) In 2002, Armenia's National Assembly passed 
legislation creating a civilian board to monitor prison 
and police detention facilities and to subsequently 
issue a public report annually.  The Civil Society 
Monitoring Board (CSMB) finally began investigating 
prison conditions in Armenia in June.  The Board's 
initial prison visits noted poor conditions.  The CSMB 
plans to expand monitoring in the future, but it must 
still negotiate terms of access to prisons with police 
prison authorities.  The CSMB has no authority to 
insist on changes to prison policy, and must rely 
instead on its ombudsman role to advocate for change. 
End Summary. 
 
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MONITORING BOARD 
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3. (SBU) The Ministry of Justice accredited the eleven 
members of the Civil Society Monitoring Board in June, 
authorizing them to inspect prisons in Armenia without 
first notifying the Ministry.  This was the first step 
in implementing a 2002 law requiring the GOAM to 
establish a civilian board to report on conditions in 
prisons and police detention facilities.  The Board's 
members include representatives from ten Armenian NGOs 
and an Armenian Orthodox priest.  The Board met weekly 
for the past three months in anticipation of 
accreditation, has established a clear decision-making 
structure, and is currently organizing its monitoring 
tasks and its relations with the Ministry of Justice. 
NGOs have monitored Armenian prisons in the past, but 
Post has no knowledge of any similar attempt to fulfill 
the mandate of the 2002 law in such a comprehensive and 
systematic manner.  The OSCE facilitated the Board's 
formation and assists with ongoing training.  According 
to Mikael Aramyan, one of the Board members, the Board 
plans to recruit and train monitors nationwide 
beginning this fall. 
 
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CONDITIONS IN DETENTION 
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4. (SBU) According to Board members, conditions in 
Armenian prisons remain poor.  After three initial 
visits, they reported that some prisoners were able to 
purchase a few comforts, but the general prison 
population suffered under various forms of neglect. 
Most cells did not have toilets or running water, and 
prisoners did not have regular access to recreation or 
educational facilities.  Board members also noted that 
prisoners in pre-trial detention had difficulty 
communicating with the outside world and were not 
allowed visits by their families or lawyers in the 
first three days of detention.  According to CSMB 
members, conflicting regulations within the detention 
facilities created difficulties for prisoners wishing 
to mail letters, and visitors wishing to see family 
members faced long waits and irregular visitation 
hours.  Monitors reported that prison medical 
facilities were severely under-staffed, under-supplied 
and under-equipped.  Monitoring teams did not report 
the presence of widespread illness.  An OSCE observer 
who accompanied the CSMB on one prison visit reported 
that a prison warden cited insufficient funding as the 
reason for poor conditions.  The OSCE observer noted, 
however, that prison staff did not implement cost-free 
solutions such as posting a visitation schedule or 
regularly bringing water to all prisoners.  According 
to Board members, some prisoners reported that police 
had beaten them while in pre-trial detention, a 
systemic problem described by several human rights 
organizations over the years. 
 
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WHERE NEXT? 
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5. (SBU) The CSMB plans to visit all 13 of Armenia's 
prisons during the next year, issue its findings to the 
Ministry of Justice and the press simultaneously, and 
expand its efforts to include monitoring police 
detention centers.  They will face several significant 
challenges.  The group has no source of funding and has 
refused a GOAM offer to supply office space in the 
Ministry of Justice because members of the group fear 
compromising the Board's independence.  The CSMB still 
has to negotiate with the police to establish 
conditions under which it may monitor police detention 
facilities. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6. (SBU) OSCE staffers who have helped develop the CSMB 
told us that members of the group are determined, but 
still unsure of themselves.  Under the law, the Board 
has considerable rights to inspect and report on prison 
conditions, but CSMB members do not actively assert 
these rights.  They similarly lack confidence in 
negotiations with the national police, even though the 
law states the police must allow inspections.  An OSCE 
member who has trained the CSMB and similar groups in 
the CIS told us that the CSMB has so far proven more 
cohesive and independent than monitoring boards in 
either Georgia or Azerbaijan, but it is too early to 
determine if the Board will live up to its potential. 
GODFREY