statement on ongoing violence at Vardenis psychoneurological boarding house in Armenia

On February 17, 2023, the RA Police issued a message, according to which the director and a group of employees of the biggest Psychoneurological Boarding House in Armenia (Vardenis Psycho-Neurological Internat) accommodating 450 persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, were arrested on suspicion of torture and illegalities committed in the institution.

Regrettably, this case, among previously recorded cases of labor exploitation, violation of property rights, and other illegal cases, is not only a manifestation of a gross violation of human rights, but a reflection of the systemic problem in the field of mental health in Armenia, about which various representatives of civil society and Human Rights Defender has referred to in their reports.

Effective steps are not being taken by the State to reduce the risks of violence and abuses and degrading conditions in the institutions in a timely and urgent manner.
We recommend the creation of an appropriate mechanism to oversee the deinstitutionalization process in line with international standards to ensure that rights of people with disabilities living independently and being included in the community are fully guaranteed.