OSCE office organizes training course on monitoring right to health in Armenian detention facilitiesSeptember 21, 2009 - 20:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An OSCE-supported training course on the right to health and international standards in Armenia's detention facilities ended in Tsaghkadzor on September 21, 2009. Members of the Public Monitoring Groups for Penitentiary Institutions and Police Detention Centers and observer trainees participated in the two-day course, organized by non-governmental organization Civil Society Institute and funded by the OSCE Office in Yerevan in partnership with the OSI Armenia, OSI Budapest Human Rights and Governance Grants Program and OSI New York Law and Health Initiative. "Monitoring of the detention facilities is the best instrument to safeguard the right to health of detainees," said Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. "All components of the right to health, including access to doctors, equivalence of care, patients' consent, confidentiality and professional competence should be taken into consideration by the groups as well as by the responsible bodies in penitentiary institutions. We believe that this training will raise the professional capacity of the public observers and foster better compliance to rules of treatment and international human rights standards on the conditions of penitentiary institutions." The local and international trainers delivered courses on international standards of the right to health, national mechanisms and international best practices of harm reduction in detention facilities. As part of the course the participants visited penitentiaries and pre-trial detention centers to learn about and monitor conditions of the detainees. "The training course aims to enhance the monitoring skills of the observers by providing international experience on protecting the right to health of detainees and prisoners, and hence contribute to more effective monitoring," added Arman Danielyan, the head of the Public Monitoring Group for Penitentiary Institutions. A similar five-day training course on the principles of human right monitoring in penitentiaries will be held in October, and trainees will be selected to become new members of the Public Monitoring Group for Penitentiary Institutions, reported the press service of OSCE Yerevan Office. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” Ex-President: Only removal of “defeatist” rulers can save Armenia Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. |