The person committed suicide 4 days after being arrested. the organization is concerned about the effectiveness of suicide risk assessment

On March 17, 2026, information was published in the press that on the same day, around 11:20, the employees of the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs “Armavir” prison found a hanging body of a detainee in quarantine cell #1 on the first floor of the institution.

The “Center for Legal Initiatives” NGO, emphasizing the effective prevention of such cases and the transparency of information provided to the public, addressed the relevant questions to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. The organization’s letter was later forwarded to the penal service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.

Regarding the questioning about the age of the person who committed suicide, the Penitentiary Service informed that he was 53 years old. The organization also requested information on when the person entered the penitentiary, how long he was in the quarantine cell, and how long he had to stay there. In this context, the Penitentiary Service informed that the person was detained on March 13, 2026, and the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs entered the “Armavir” prison on March 14, 2026. He was kept in the quarantine cell for 3 days. According to the established procedure, the detained person could be kept in the quarantine cell for up to 7 days.

As for the circumstances of the suicide, the Organization was informed that on March 17, 2026, at around 10:55, the officer of the security department serving in the quarantine building reported via internal telephone that a detained person had committed suicide. The latter was found unconscious. The doctor provided first aid, in particular, massages and artificial respiration were performed. An emergency brigade was called and the doctor declared the biological death of the person at 11:25. According to the provided information, suicide was committed by wrapping the shoelace around the iron part of the bed and around the neck. The compiled documents were sent to the Vagharshapat investigative department of the Armavir Marz Department of the RA Investigative Committee in order to discuss the issue of initiating criminal proceedings.

The organization also inquired whether an initial screening and/or in-depth assessment of a person’s risk of self-harm and suicide was carried out upon entry into the penitentiary. If so, what results were recorded, as well as what activities were carried out by the relevant professional group of the penitentiary in order to reduce the possible risk of suicide and improve the psychological state of the person. In this context, the Organization was informed that in accordance with the Order of the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia No. 631-L of October 25, 2023, suicide and self-harm risk assessment is carried out with the incarcerated persons who are transferred to the penal institutions of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia no later than 24 hours.

The organization also inquired whether the person had previously been detained or sentenced to prison, and if so, under what articles and how many times. In addition, the Organization asked to clarify what are the possible causes of suicide according to preliminary data, as well as to provide information on whether the person committed self-harm or attempted suicide before the incident, and if so, for what reasons and how many times. However, the Penitentiary Service refused to provide information regarding the mentioned questions, justifying that they are personal data, the provision of which is limited in accordance with Article 9, Clause 10 of the RA Law “On Personal Data Protection”. In addition, the Penitentiary Service informed that materials are being prepared for each case of suicide and criminal proceedings are initiated. Therefore, the Penitentiary Service cannot provide information regarding the course of the suicide case proceedings, its reasons, cause-and-effect relationship or other significant circumstances.

In relation to the mentioned case, the Organization also appealed to the RA Ministry of Health, asking to inform when the person entered the penitentiary, whether a preliminary examination of his mental health and/or an in-depth assessment of risks and needs was carried out. The organization also asked to be informed whether an examination of the person’s general state of health was carried out, and if so, what results were recorded, as well as what works were carried out by the professional group of the “Armavir” division of the “Penitological Medicine Center” of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia in the direction of maintaining and improving the person’s health. The organization’s letter was re-addressed to the mentioned SNOC, from where they informed that in case of any death, including in connection with the incident mentioned in the letter, criminal proceedings are initiated by the relevant authorities. Based on the above, during the preliminary investigation, SNOC does not have the authority to provide any information.

Summarizing the received information, the Organization came to the conclusion that the existing problems relate to the limitations of information transparency, effectiveness of preventive mechanisms, possible gaps in security conditions and incomplete visibility of coordinated work between state bodies.

Thus, both the Penitentiary Service and the “Penitentiary Medicine Center” SNOC did not provide a number of important data, referring to the protection of personal data and the course of the preliminary investigation. Although the legal grounds presented are understandable, as a result, information essential to public scrutiny is not disclosed, which in practice leads to issues of incident causes, possible systemic gaps, and accountability remaining beyond public scrutiny.

The next issue concerns the uncertainty regarding the causes of suicide and risk assessment. In response to the mentioned questions, only general information was provided that a risk assessment is being carried out, but no specific information about the assessment results, risk level or applied measures regarding the given person was provided. The information provided does not allow to assess the scope and effectiveness of the measures taken after the assessment.

Although risk assessment is scheduled to be carried out within 24 hours, the incident occurred during the quarantine phase, about four days after the arrest and transfer to the “Armavir” prison, which is a high-risk period. This raises concerns about insufficient and effective supervision and psychological support undertaken.

In addition, according to the information provided, the suicide was committed using a shoelace and an iron part of the cell bed, which indicates possible institutional gaps in terms of controlling dangerous objects and ensuring the safety of the cell environment.

According to the organization, the next problem concerns the incomplete visibility of coordinated interdepartmental work. There is no clear understanding of how the penal and health institutions cooperated in the process of assessing and providing support for the mental and physical health of the person in question.

“Center for Legal Initiatives” NGO