The recent increase in the number of inmates is largely linked to election bribery cases arising from electoral processes, Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan has said.

She reported that the number of people deprived of liberty has exceeded 3,000, although the number of convicted prisoners still remains higher than the number of pre-trial detainees. Galyan made the remarks during a regular meeting of the Public Council attached to the Ministry of Justice, according to 1lurer.am .

According to the minister, the gap between the two indicators has narrowed in recent months.

“At one point, the difference reached 80, whereas now the difference is 20. The absolute numbers are increasing, but in reality the growth in the number of detainees is driven by election bribery cases connected to electoral processes. The figures from the Anti-Corruption Court also point to this.

Following our discussions last year, we observed a decline in the number of detainees. As a result, for the first time in five years, we recorded a situation in which the number of convicted prisoners increased relative to the number of detainees,” Galyan said.

The minister also expressed the view that house arrest is not a complete solution to the problem, as in many cases it simply replaces another preventive measure.

Galyan also drew a connection between the pace of judicial proceedings and efforts to reduce the number of detainees.

“When we studied detention periods, we found individuals who had remained in detention for five years or more, which is a very troubling and unacceptable fact for us. Our research showed that this phenomenon is mainly linked to the frequent replacement of judges,” she said.