Armenia’s parliamentary committee on defense and security has given a positive assessment to proposed amendments to the law on holding detainees and prisoners.

Under these changes, medical examinations in detention facilities will be conducted in all cases, rather than only when bodily injuries are evident, as is currently required, reports Armenpress.

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Armen Ghazaryan emphasized that the proposed amendments align with recommendations from the UN Committee Against Torture and the European Court of Human Rights rulings in the "Virabyan v. Armenia" cases.

According to Ghazaryan, under the new provisions, detainees must undergo a medical examination within a maximum of three hours after being taken into custody. For those placed under arrest, the examination must occur within 24 hours of being transferred to a quarantine unit.

"Detainees must be medically examined within three hours of arrival at the detention facility, while arrested individuals must undergo the examination within 24 hours of being placed in quarantine," Ghazaryan stated, adding that as an additional safeguard, detainees and prisoners will be allowed to have a doctor of their choice present during the examination.

Armen Khachatryan, an MP and co-rapporteur of the bill, stressed that access to medical examinations for those deprived of liberty is a crucial guarantee for human rights protection and the prevention of torture.

Khachatryan also urged lawmakers and government officials to continuously monitor issues in the sector and remain committed to addressing them.