YEREVAN. – With Wednesday’s decision by the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) of Armenia, the Expert Council on Prevention of Torture to the Defender has been established, with the new list of members.

The list comprises independent experts as well as experienced representatives (sociologists, psychologists, doctors, etc.) of NGOs in the domain of prevention of torture and ill treatment.

The Council has been established based on the Law on Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, according to which the Ombudsman is the National Preventive Mechanism under the Optional Protocol of the UN Convention on Prevention of Torture. In addition, the Law on Human Rights Defender gives the opportunity to delegate certain functions to the Expert Council members.

The objective of this council is to reveal the problems concerning the conditions at detention centers, and to provide the solutions, including analyzing them in the context of relevant laws. The main function of the Expert Council is to monitor the detention centers, by making regular visits there.