On July 3, the Council of Heads of Penitentiary Services of CIS countries held its fourth session in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. Among the participants were the administrations of the penitentiary systems of Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and Moldova (with status of observer), a well as the representative of the Secretariat of the Executive Committee of CIS countries.

During the session, Deputy Head of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia, Justice Colonel Hayk Kochinyan delivered a relevant report on the legal-organizational reforms carried out within the penitentiary system of Armenia and the prospective programs.

The partnering countries were particularly very interested in the new legal regulations for the institution of early conditional release from punishment or replacement of punishment with milder punishment introduced in the penitentiary system of Armenia.

Several decisions were signed during the session, including the decisions on elections of chair and co-chairs of the Council, assessment of the activities carried out by experts of the Council’s task force and organizing of an online chess tournament for persons serving punishment in the penitentiary systems of CIS countries.