Amnesty should not be viewed as mechanical relieve of penitentiaries only: Armenian Ombudsman

Amnesty should not be aimed at mechanically relieving penitentiaries, Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan said at a news conference today.

“This idea of amnesty is a result of wrong principle we have been guided for years while depriving a person of freedom,” he said.

Tatoyan stressed that presumption of confidence should act toward a person deprived of freedom.

“Individual works should be carried out with them. A person must be get prepared for freedom. While what has been done now? We have kept people isolated, we have not carried out any social-psychological works with them and then we stated that you are not ready to be freed,” the ombudsman said.

He stressed that the state should not put the guilt of its intactness and tell a person that he is not ready for freedom.

The ombudsman stressed the necessity of principle changes in the sector.

“The issue of relieving penitentiaries is very important but an impression should not be made as if it is the only issue,” he said that the mentality should be changed in Armenia.

“You should not judge a person exclusively by the nature of crime he has committed. The justice does not end behind the closed gates of jail,” he said.