On July 7, the Human Rights Defender Ms. Kristinne Grigoryan, and the representatives of the Office conducted an unannounced visit to the “Special Shelter” SNPO of Migration Service of Armenia. During the visit, the conformity of the services provided by the shelter to the standards of international and domestic legislation, and the living and sanitary-hygienic conditions of the shelter were studied. Moreover, private interviews were held with the asylum seekers living in the shelter, its staff, and the Head of the Migration Service.
During the visit, it was registered that the internal disciplinary rules of the shelter were, in general, accessible in a language understandable to the asylum seekers living in the shelter. However, information leaflets on the rights of asylum seekers, including the right to appeal to the Human Rights Defender, were lacking in the area of general use and other areas accessible to the asylum seekers.
During the private interviews held with the asylum seekers living in the shelter, their right to appeal to the Human Rights Defender and the mandate of the Defender was explained to them.
It was also registered during the visit that the issue related to the provision of special food to the persons living in the shelter remains unresolved. The Asylum seekers are provided the same type of food, regardless of their religious or ethnic belongings, as a result of which it is impossible to use the food in certain cases. At the same time, some types of mandatory food items are not included in the food packages provided.
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The sanitary-hygienic conditions of the Shelter, especially the kitchen which is for common use, continue to be of concern. In particular, during the visit, the presence of various insects was registered in the kitchen; the insects also had access to both the raw and prepared food. It should be noted that the issue was raised in the 2017 ad hoc report of the Human Rights Defender on ensuring the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Armenia, and the subsequent annual reports. However, the problem remains unresolved to this day. It should be noted that insufficient sanitary-hygienic conditions in shelters for asylum seekers and refugees lead to the violation of the state’s absolute principle of prohibition of ill-treatment as defined by the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Defender considers it very necessary to conduct urgent and specialized disinfection works in the shelter area.
As a result of the conducted visit, it was registered that only 1 Farsi translator worked in the shelter, which is problematic from the point of view of ensuring proper communication with the other asylum seekers in a language understandable to them.
When placing asylum seekers in the shelter, the insufficient conditions of the building of the shelter do not provide the opportunity to take into consideration the number of their family members, gender, age and other relevant circumstances.
It should be emphasized that the shelter is not completely adapted to the conditions necessary for the accommodation of persons with disabilities and persons with mobility difficulties. The rooms consigned for the latter are not equipped with kitchens; at the same time, the shelter does not have an elevator, which creates additional difficulty to use the kitchen which is located on the second floor. A person with mobility issues cannot overcome the difficulty of using the stairs on their own, as a result of which they cannot leave the shelter anytime, they wished to do so.
The limited possibilities of organizing the bath for the residents of the shelter, especially in the summer months, due to lack of financial resources, remains a concern.
The shelter was provided with an internet connection to ensure the right of the refugees and asylum seekers to maintain contact with their family members, although with limited time access, regarding which some justifications were presented. It should be noted that there was no appropriate technical communication equipment in the shelter, which asylum seekers could use if they lacked their own personal devices.
During the private interview, the management of the shelter mentioned the issue of ensuring the security of the shelter as a priority matter. The security of the shelter is provided by a guard post, which, however, is not sufficient for the regulation of security issues of the shelter.
The staff of the shelter also raised the issue of the sewage leakage from the neighboring building and the resulting accumulation of the sewage water in the yard, and especially the stench spreading as a result of it during the summer heat. According to the Head of the Migration Service, this issue is on the list of issues to be resolved by the end of the year.
Despite the fact that the asylum seekers living in the shelter are registered in the primary health care center, the residents expressed their concern about receiving the necessary medications.
In practice, existing legislative gaps also continue to cause issues. In particular, the issue of the status of foreign citizens and stateless persons who do not meet the necessary criteria for refugee status, but benefit from the protection of the principle of non-refoulment, remains unresolved.
The analyses of the Office of the Human Rights Defender demonstrate that the issues related to guaranteeing the rights of asylum seekers and refugees in Armenia have, in general, a systemic and continuous nature.
It should be emphasized that the registered problems and the actions aimed at solving them by the management of the shelter were discussed on-site with the Head of the Migration Service.
In particular, within the framework of the discussions, the Defender was presented with the construction process of the new shelter for asylum seekers, which started in 2021 in the city of Abovyan. The construction of the new shelter can address the majority of the presented issues. The Head of the Service also presented the work being done to solve the issues related to the legislation.
With the aim of finding solutions to the registered problems, the Defender constantly cooperates with the Migration Service, the Armenian office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as well as with civil society organizations actively working in this sphere.
Relevant recommendations will be presented to the policy-making body in relation to the analyses and issues registered during the visit.
The Human Rights Defender