Justice Minister  claims  that the situation with mortality rate in  Armenian prisons is better today than in 2014-2016

ArmInfo.  According to statistics, the highest number of deaths in Armenian prisons was recorded from 2014 to 2016, as stated by Armenian Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan in a conversation with reporters, in response to a request to clarify the reasons for the high mortality rate in the country's prisons.

Galyan assured that she is not citing these statistics to justify the current situation. She agreed that the death rate remains high and has various causes. According to the Minister, of the 23 cases mentioned, eight were suicides, primarily related to mental health issues, while another eight occurred in hospitals where the prisoners were admitted due to deteriorating health. "The remaining cases are also largely related to health issues," Galyan added.

According to her,  the Armenian parliament has discussed the need for a prompt review of government decision No. 825, regarding the list of illnesses that are incompatible with detention. Galyan assured that significant progress has already been done in this direction. "As for suicides resulting from the denial of medical care, based on the information I have, colleagues from the Ministry of Health are actively addressing such cases. Oversight in this area is carried out by two agencies," the head of the Ministry of Justice attempted to justify the inaction of the authorized bodies.