Narine Shelelenkian graduated from YSU in 2018 (Faculty of Law, Bachelor of Law).
Since 2018 she is studying at the School of Advocates of RA (Criminal Law).
She has participated in a series of human rights trainings and requalification in the field of human rights.
Since 2018 Narine works in Helsinki Committee of Armenia NGO and has been introduced to the Monitoring Group Conducting Public Oversight in the Penitentiary Institutions and Entities under the RA Ministry of Justice as an expert.
The majority of Armenian prisons date back to the Soviet period or even earlier and though cosmetic changes have been made, many still operate within a Soviet-era system. For prisoners with disabilities, this means a lack of adapted living spaces, a lack of healthcare, as well as exclusion from prison life.
According to the Armenian Ministry of Justice, as of September 2018, 153 people with disabilities were serving time in Armenia’s penitentiary institutions.
However, Artur Sakunts, a member of the prison Monitoring Group at the Ministry of Justice, told OC Media it is impossible to name the real number, due to an underdiagnosis of disabilities and difficulties with collecting the relevant documentation.
Hasmik Harutyunyan, the President of the Group of Public Monitors Implementing Supervision over the Penitentiary Institutions and Bodies of the Ministry of Justice of RA, emphasized the following questions during the interview to Liberty radio station.
“Whether the health condition of a prisoner was enough to keep the latter in the penitentiary institution. The most important thing, whether the medical services and medical assistance of “Nubarashen” penitentiary institution were sufficient to take care of the prisoner.
Zaruhi Hovhannisyan, member of the Group expressed her concerns that Armenia had a quite high index in terms of application of detention in Armenia. The details are available in the video made by Liberty Radio Station.
Luiza Vardanyan graduated from YSU faculty of Law in 2016 getting Bachelor’s degree of Jurisprudence.
She studied at The School of Advocates of the RA during n 2016-2017 specalizing in criminal law.
She received the licence of Advocate in 2017.
Luiza has participated in a number of human rights training courses and workshops.
She has worked in the field of business and civil law.
Luiza has been working in "Public Information and Need for Knowledge" / PINK / human rights NGO since 2018.
In 2016 Hayk Hakobyan graduated from Vanadzor State University , the faculty of law. In 2017 he graduated from “Mkhitar Gosh” Armenian-Russian International University, the faulty of law.
Since September 7, 2016 he has been working at Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly Vanadzor as a lawyer.
He has participated in numerous trainings, seminars, discussions on human rights, summer schools, as well as in “Vanadzor Legal Clinic” project.
From June of 2017 to June of 2018 he has been enrolled an expert to the Group of Public Observers Conducting Public Monitoring in Penitentiary Institutions and Bodies of the RA Ministry of Justice, representing Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly Vanadzor.
