At this moment, the safest place for protection from the coronavirus is a penitentiary institution. This is what Minister of Justice of Armenia Rustam Badasyan said during a press conference today.

“Penitentiary institutions in Armenia have the best conditions in the world in the sense that there is 43% overcrowdedness,” the minister said.

Asked why prisoners aren’t released from detention facilities under an open regime since there is a similar practice in many countries, Badasyan said the following:

“There is a similar practice in countries where overcrowdedness is a problem at penitentiary institutions. There is no need to release those prisoners. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Justice has addressed the Prosecutor General’s Office, stating that if the crime is a medium gravity crime and the person is under arrest within the framework of the charge brought under that crime, in such cases, motions have been filed to commute those prisoners’ custody pre-trial measure.”