Armenian government’s grounding of rejection of bill lacks any humane motivation: Naira Zohrabyan

Chairperson of the NA’s Human Rights and Public Affairs Standing Committee Naira Zohrabyan expressed regret that the government gave a negative conclusion to the bill authored by her which offers calculating one pre-trial detention day as 1,5. She said she had some expectations that the executive would reject her proposal.

“Such like bill has been earlier submitted by MP Edmon Marukyan but was rejected. Rejection of my bill was expected too. Of course, the groundings of the government are not acceptable for me, as having worked as a journalist for quite a long time and having covered the sector for quite a long time, I know what is going on in cells for preliminary detention,” she told Aysor.am.

“About 23-25 people are being kept in cells intended for 7-8 people. People are sleeping in turns, which is an additional punishment for the detainees. We offer to display a humanitarian step and consider one detention day as 1,5 day,” Zohrabyan said.

She stressed that the government’s comments that the courts will be overloaded if the bill is approved are ungrounded.

“You have seen on the eve that relatives of hundred convicts and detainees came to the NA yard to meet me. I am being informed that the convicts are planning to declare mass hunger strike, but I have urged them not to undertake such desperate steps hoping that my bill would have been approved today,” she said.

Zohrabyan said her last hope is for the bill to receive the positive conclusion of the State-Legal Committee and they will have an opportunity to discuss it at the parliament.

“If not, my authorities as a chairperson of the Human Rights and Public Affairs Standing Committee and a lawmaker will end,” Zohrabyan stressed.

The MP also added that there is no humane motivation in the grounding of the government for which she regrets.