Operating within Armenia, RWI collaborates closely with local partners to bolster the capabilities of stakeholders across the judiciary, state agencies, academia, and civil society. Our collective aim is to foster the application of international human rights standards, thereby driving ongoing and future reforms within the nation. Arman Gasparian (Programme Officer), Meline Avagyan (Junior Programme Officer), and Nona Galstyan (Senior Programme Associate) from the RWI Armenia office provide insights into our initiatives within the country’s justice sector.
Justice Area Sector Cooperation
Within the area of access to justice, RWI is working with different stakeholders; one of them is the police. Arman Gasparian explains further. ‘Together with the educational complex of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we have initiated supplementary training activities for recruits of both the patrol and criminal police. They will learn more about the police’s role in ensuring freedom of assembly and peaceful demonstration, as well as how to maintain law and order during such events. The training also covers questions about when and how to use force, addressing when its use is legitimate and when it is not.’ For this purpose, a series of three-day activities are being carried out. Initially, there will be training for patrol police officers, followed by training for criminal police officers. In total, some 25-35 recruits from each type of police force will participate.
Arman continues to tell us about the Academy of Justice: ‘We have completed work on a manual for human rights in pre-trial proceedings, and this manual, along with a training course, has been piloted among serving judges, candidate investigators, and prosecutors. This pilot took place last year. This year, we plan to conduct a Training of Trainers (ToT) activity, during which 10 instructors will be trained to deliver the course on behalf of the Academy of Justice. The trainer from the Academy who assisted in developing the course will also serve as an elite trainer for the ToT.’
National Human Rights Institutions
The NPM unit monitors all types of places where people are deprived of their liberty, including places for holding arrested and detained persons, penitentiary institutions, psychiatric organizations, and military detention facilities. To enhance monitoring, the staff of the unit need checklists that guide them in asking the correct questions, and at the moment, we are assisting them in aligning their checklist for monitoring penitentiary institutions with international standards. Meline continues, ‘What RWI does is help ensure that these checklists align with international standards and rules concerning prisoner’s rights, including the Nelson Mandela Rules, Bangkok Rules, and European Prison Rules.’
In addition to this, RWI is also assisting the HRDO in creating a staff handbook which will improve the “institutional memory” of the office. This handbook will include all necessary knowledge, such as what an NHRI is, what the HRDO does, and relevant links to national/international relevant laws/conventions that the staff can access. Once the handbook is ready, an online course will be developed which will be available for all HRDO staff in Armenia. The course will cover topics such as human rights, international human rights law, and other related capacity-building topics. We hope to continue our work with the HRDO as much as the office will need our support.
Translation and Rules Validation Process
The RWI office in Armenia is also working on a translation and ‘rules validation process.’ They have conducted a thorough and professional (although unofficial) translation of the Nelson Mandela Rules, which are the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. Nona Galstyan tells us more about it:
‘We ensured that it became clearer to understand the meaning of the text and as accessible as possible, serving as practical guidance for all those individuals and personnel who work and are engaged with penitentiary institutions in Armenia. Throughout the validation process, we carefully reviewed the wording and formulations to make it easier to understand and more accessible for those who read it, especially if they do not have a legal background. The process itself was collaborative and had an inclusive approach, recognising the diverse backgrounds of the team.’
Now, they have started to translate the Bangkok Rules, which are the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders. These two translations will hopefully provide good guidance for the justice sector in Armenia.
Read more about RWI’s work in Armena here.
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