Representatives of Armenian Ombudsman visit Aregnaz Manukyan at  Abovyan penitentiary

ArmInfo.  On the instruction of Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan, staff from her  office visited the Abovyan Penitentiary of the Ministry of Justice,  where they held meetings with several individuals, including Aregnaz  Manukyan, a member of the 8th convocation of National Assembly of  Armenia and a board member of the "Mother Armenia" party.

"During the visit, the Ombudsman's representatives held private  conversations with the detainees, including Aregnaz Manukyan, a  member of the 8th convocation of the National Assembly of Armenia.  The visit focused on assessing the situation regarding the protection  of the rights of those deprived of liberty. The concerns they raised  were also discussed with representatives of the penitentiary  administration," the office of the Human Rights Defender stated.

It is noted that ensuring human rights in places of detention remains  a central priority for the Human Rights Defender. Furthermore, the  information and issues raised by the detainees during the visit will  be documented in detail and submitted to the competent authorities.

Recall,  according to the Investigative Committee, a public criminal  prosecution has been initiated against Aregnaz Manukyan under Part 1  of Article 427 of the Criminal Code (disclosure of information  containing a state secret). The investigative actions were carried  out as part of a criminal case of espionage and treason, in which the  leader of the Mother Armenia party, Andranik Tevanyan, was previously  arrested.  Manukyan is suspected of passing classified information  regarding the Armenian Armed Forces to Tevanyan, which was presented  at a closed meeting of parliament. By a court decision on July 9,  Manukyan was placed under two months' pretrial detention. The court  also imposed complete restrictions on Manukyan's visits. Only a  lawyer is allowed to see her, and this is despite the fact that she  has a minor child in her care.