Alongside the annual report of the Human Rights Defender, Armenia’s Ombudsman has published the 2025 report on activities as the national preventive mechanism. The document summarizes issues recorded in penitentiary institutions, psychiatric organizations, police detention facilities, and court holding cells for persons deprived of liberty.
The report highlights growing concern over the increase in deaths in prisons and the high rate of suicides.
According to data from Armenia’s Ministry of Justice, 24 deaths were recorded in 2025, of which 8 were suicides. The mortality rate in penitentiary institutions has doubled compared to the previous year, when 12 deaths were recorded in 2024, all due to natural causes. The suicide rate has reached its highest level in the past 15 years.
According to the report, of the 487 recommendations made in 2025, 113 (23.2%) were considered implemented, of which 49 require continued enforcement. The implementation of 225 recommendations (46.2%) was assessed as partial, while 149 recommendations (30.6%) remain unfulfilled.
The report states that despite efforts, many issues remain unresolved. In particular, attention was drawn to conditions in court holding cells for detainees, including problems related to equipment, lighting, sanitary conditions, accessibility for persons with mobility issues, as well as provision of food and access to medical and legal assistance.
The Human Rights Defender emphasized that the state has a positive obligation to ensure the protection of the right to life of persons under its jurisdiction, as well as to guarantee full, comprehensive, and effective investigations into every death.
The report also addressed the need for proper responses to cases of torture and ill-treatment, ensuring effective investigations, and соблюдение legislative requirements during involuntary hospitalization of individuals with mental health conditions in psychiatric institutions.
The Ombudsman also stressed the importance of establishing a support center for victims of torture, which would provide medical, psychological, legal, and social services to assist recovery and reintegration into society. Cooperation with competent authorities was also highlighted as a key factor in addressing various issues and advancing reforms in human rights protection.
In 2025, within the framework of the national preventive mechanism, the Human Rights Defender conducted 59 monitoring visits — 20 regular and 39 ad hoc — contributing to the identification of issues and the development of recommendations for their resolution.
