144 Foreign Convicts in Armenia, Says Kristine Grigoryan

There are currently 144 foreign convicts serving sentences in Armenia. This information was provided today in parliament by Deputy Minister of Justice Kristine Grigoryan.

Presenting the draft amendments to the Law on Foreigners, Grigoryan noted that the majority of countries, including the United Kingdom, Georgia, Russia, and the United States, share a similar approach: the country must have the ability to deport a foreign convict after they have served their sentence.

According to the deputy minister, the ultimate goal of these changes is to ensure national security and prevent recidivism.

Grigoryan mentioned that currently, half of the foreign convicts held in Armenia are citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although she does not have figures on deportation cases, she stated that she could obtain and present the statistics.

“Once we have this norm, we will understand the results we have achieved regarding recidivism. This could indeed become a serious tool related to security and prevention of repeat offenses,” said Grigoryan.