Armenian ombudsperson raises concern over excessive use of detention

Armenian Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan,l has expressed deep concern over the extensive reliance on pre-trial detention, warning that the practice reflects entrenched structural shortcomings within the country’s justice system.

Addressing lawmakers on Friday, Manasyan emphasised that the persistence of this issue over decades cannot be excused by the argument that decisions are made on an individual basis. She cautioned that such reasoning risks creating what she described as “collective irresponsibility” where systemic flaws are masked by case-specific rulings.

“The continued prevalence of this problem cannot be explained away by the notion that each decision is confined to an individual case,” she said. “That logic resembles collective irresponsibility more than genuine accountability.”

The ombudsperson called for systemic solutions to address the challenges posed by the current approach.