The Helsinki Committee of Armenia has sent an open letter to various top government officials voicing its concern regarding what it sees as the relatively large number of prisoners with life sentences.

Currently, Armenia has 104 such “lifers” in prison, a number which the Helsinki Committee views as disproportionate to the country’s 2.5 million population.

The Committee notes that even former CoE Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg voiced a similar concern during his last trip to Armenia.

Even RA Minister of Justice commented on the disparity, the letter states, during recent parliamentary hearings on amendments to judicial legislation.

Minister Hrayr Tovmasyan noted that Estonia, a country with a population similar to Armenia, only has 6 “lifers” and Slovakia, 4.

The Helsinki Committee states that it is convinced that the number of “lifers” in Armenian prisons could be substantially reduced via flexible legislative mechanisms and a judicial review of the court cases involved.