ArmInfo.UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on authorities to consider releasing detainees at high risk of contracting coronavirus.
According to France 24, the Commissioner noted that state authorities should explore ways to release those who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, including elderly prisoners and patients, as well as low-risk offenders. Bachelet emphasized that places of detention in many countries are crowded and often lack adequate hygiene and health conditions. According to her, physical distance and self-isolation in such conditions are almost impossible. She called on governments not to forget about people in custody or those in places such as closed psychiatric institutions, nursing homes and orphanages.
Recall that on the eve of the General Prosecutor's Office of Armenia decided to release prisoners with chronic diseases at risk from the pre-trial detention center. As Advisor to the Prosecutor General of Armenia Gor Abrahamyan said on his Facebook page, in connection with the coronavirus epidemic, the preventive measure against 20 prisoners will be changed. According to Abrahamyan, the territorial bodies of the prosecutor’s office have identified criminal cases at the preliminary and judicial stages, the persons involved in which are at risk of contracting coronavirus. These individuals revealed chronic diseases. An alternative preventive measure will be applied to them. “Prosecutors will make appropriate requests in order of priority. 11 people will be released from the prison institution “Hospital of Convicts”, another 9 - from other penitentiary institutions, ”Abrahamyan emphasized. He also noted that 2 people under pre-trial detention have already been released. “As a preventive measure against the latter, a recognizance not to leave was chosen. The process continues, ”he wrote.
Note that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), on the evening of April 3, the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in the world exceeded 972.3 thousand. According to current data from Johns Hopkins University, over 1.1 million people have already become infected in the world, more than 226.6 thousand have recovered. The leader in the number of confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University, remains the United States (277.7 thousand). Italy is in second place (119.8 thousand), Spain - in third (119.1 thousand), Germany (91.1 thousand) - in fourth. China, where the pandemic began, fell back to fifth in the number of cases of infection (82.5 thousand; 76.9 thousand people have already recovered).
In total, 58,929 people died from coronavirus in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. The largest number of deaths was recorded in Italy - 14 681. According to WHO, more than 50.3 thousand people died from the virus in the world.