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No cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported among convicts or detainees so far, Armenian Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan said at the parliament on Thursday.

“Thanks to the heroic efforts, no coronavirus cases have been confirmed among inmates or detainees so far, although some penitentiary employees have been diagnosed with the disease,” he said.

“According to yesterday's data, we have 2,142 convicted and detained persons, and imagine how rapidly the infection will spread if their relatives bring parcels, enter correction facilities and have contact with the employees,” the minister stressed.

His remarks came in response to Prosperous Armenia MP Naira Zohrabyan who voiced concerns that fruits and sweets are removed from parcels sent to prisoners, while detainees having credit cards manage to buy fruits and sweets from a store next to a penitentiary.

Also, the MP stated a group of inmates have recently gone on a hunger strike in the city of Vanadzor to protest against delays of court hearings.

The justice minister said hunger strikes at penitentiaries are mostly related to the complaints of foreign nationals who want to return to their countries, to the delay of judicial proceedings, as well as to the subjective perceptions of prisoners about their punishment.

Badasyan said they have introduced a bill to the parliament which obliges courts to consider a prosecutor’s motion to release a prisoner with serious illness incompatible with the arrest within a day.