Lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, within the framework of the programs implemented by the Civil Society Institute in 2011, participated in the study of the problems of the parole system and the legislative and practical issues of the system of parole in Armenia due to serious illnesses that prevent serving the sentence.
As a result of the study, one of the reports published by the Civil Society Institute NGO is as follows: “Legislative and Practical Problems of the System of Exemption from Sentence Due to Serious Illnesses Impeding Serving the Sentence in Armenia.”
In order to study the system of release due to serious illness that prevents serving a sentence in Armenia, a sociological survey was conducted in April-August 2011 in the Vardashen, Erebuni and Abovyan penitentiaries (PENs), as well as in the Prisoners' Hospital (Yerevan). An analysis of the legal acts regulating the system and the practice of their application was also conducted.
During the period selected for the study, 14 cases of persons held in penitentiaries were submitted to the Medical Working Committee (MWC) in order to clarify the presence of diseases that impede the serving of the sentence. During the study, all 14 cases (13 concerning convicts and 1 detainee) were examined with the consent of the convicts and the detainee.
Interviews were conducted with 10 convicts and 1 remand prisoner. It was not possible to conduct an interview with 3 convicts due to their serious health condition. Expert interviews were conducted with 10 doctors working in penitentiaries, 2 of whom are women and 8 are men.
The results of the research are summarized in the report.