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Working group meeting on the new legislation concerning the execution of prison sentences in Armenia

Published: April 6, 2016

On 19 and 20 March 2016, members of a working group and other representatives of the Armenian Ministry of Justice met with the German expert Dr. Stefan von der Beck in Zaghkadsor, Armenia, to discuss the draft legislation concerning the execution of prison sentences. The Deputy Minister of Justice, Suren Krmoyan, who is coordinating the project on behalf of the Armenian Ministry of Justice, also attended the meeting, which took place as part of the cooperation between the IRZ and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia.

Discussions during the two-day meeting focussed on the well-advanced draft legislation on the probation service, as well as the draft legislation concerning the execution of prison sentences. Both laws have until now been the focus of work by various structures and authorities and are now thought to be ready for incorporation in legislation. The discussions took place at a highly professional level and it soon became clear that all the participants want to agree on a single solution.

The IRZ has been supporting the Armenian Ministry of Justice in its reform of the legislation concerning the execution of prison sentences since the end of 2014. As well as various meetings between the working group and Dr. von der Beck, a working visit to Oldenburg also took place at the end of 2015. This presented an opportunity, amongst other things, for participants to gain a direct insight into German penal institutions. There are plans for further meetings to look in detail at the texts for the definitive proposed legislation and these will take place over the next few months between the working group and the German expert.