There should be no “KGB basements” in sovereign Armenia, but the current authorities benefit from their existence. The chairman of the Bright Armenia Party, Edmon Marukyan, stated this during their election campaign in front of the building of the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia.

According to Marukyan, Yerevan’s “Kentron” penitentiary, better known as the “KGB basement,” is a unique symbol of the fact that Armenia does not meet European standards. He accused the current Armenian authorities of preserving the Soviet system of repression.

As per Marukyan, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment has repeatedly ordered the closure of this facility, as it does not meet international standards for the detention of prisoners.

Therefore, the “KGB basement” should have been closed during the reign of Armenia’s third president Serzh Sargsyan, in the context of negotiations with the European Union, or even earlier, during the reign of second president Robert Kocharyan, when the country joined the Council of Europe.

However, as Marukyan noted, this was not done, and the “KGB basement” continues to operate even after the change of power in Armenia in 2018.

Also, Marukyan recalled that today political prisoners are held in that facility.

He said that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan fully oversees Armenia’s national security system, which has never been transformed from a force structure into a law enforcement system.

“The head of the KGB in Armenia is Nikol Pashinyan. He has perfectly fit into this system,” Marukyan stated, and added that the Armenian premier continues to use the methods of the previous Armenian authorities.

Source: https://news.am/en/news/1038414