The Armenian government would like to determine the terms for serving punishment for prisoners and convicts suffering from serious illnesses and permit their release due to the presence of serious health problems. This is what Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia Srbuhi Galyan said during a discussion on the bill on making supplements to the Criminal Procedure Code in parliament today.

The deputy minister particularly emphasized that the bill proposes to specifically determine and envisage an opportunity to release a prisoner due to presence of a serious illness and envisage an opportunity for an overseeing prosecutor to adopt a decision on immediate consideration of a motion to grant or reject the motion for release. All these decisions need to be based on the conclusion of doctors. The bill also provides for an opportunity to appeal a decision in court in the case of a negative conclusion. Moreover, as the deputy minister mentioned, the decision on release must be in effect no later than the following day.