CAT/C/ARM/CO/3 during the clashes remains ongoing. The Committee is also concerned about persistent allegations that in the immediate aftermath of the violence, many individuals were arbitrarily detained, denied the right to access to a lawyer of their choice, and subjected to ill-treatment in custody, and that these allegations have not been adequately investigated (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16). The State party should expedite the investigation into the 10 deaths resulting from the violence following the February 2008 elections and ensure that any law enforcement official found to have used excessive or indiscriminate force is prosecuted and punished with sentences appropriate to the gravity of the crime, and that the families of victims are provided with redress, including compensation. The State party should also ensure that broader allegations of excessive and indiscriminate use of force, ill-treatment and denial of safeguards by the police in the aftermath of these elections are independently and effectively investigated. The State party should take measures to ensure that individuals believed to have knowledge of the March 2008 events are effectively protected from reprisals and intimidation. Juvenile justice 21. The Committee regrets the absence of juvenile justice, including juvenile courts. The Committee notes the establishment of a public monitoring group, consisting of representatives of non-governmental organizations, mandated to carry out monitoring of special boarding schools. However, the Committee is concerned about the reported practice of holding juvenile detainees in solitary confinement for up to 10 days as a disciplinary sanction at such special schools (arts. 11, 12 and 16). The Committee encourages the State party to establish a juvenile justice system, and particularly to establish a specialized juvenile division or jurisdiction with judges with professional competence to deal with juvenile cases and other judicial staff, and ensure its proper functioning in compliance with international standards. The State party should closely monitor the situation of special schools to ensure that children are not subjected to intimidation, ill-treatment or violence. The State party should limit the use of solitary confinement as a measure of last resort, for as short a time as possible under strict supervision and with a possibility of judicial review. Solitary confinement of juveniles should be limited to very exceptional cases. Effectiveness of the Human Rights Defender 22. The Committee is concerned by the lack of adequate resources for the Human Rights Defender (ombudsman), who has been designated the national preventive mechanism of Armenia, to carry out his mandate effectively. It is also concerned that some recommendations made by the Human Rights Defender to the authorities are not implemented (arts. 2 and 12). The Committee recommends that the State party provide the resources necessary for the Office of the Human Rights Defender to carry out its double mandate as the ombudsman and national preventive mechanism of Armenia in an effective manner in accordance with the guidelines on national preventive mechanisms established by the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture. The State party should ensure that law enforcement, prosecutorial, military and prison personnel cooperate with the Human Rights Defender and take steps to implement his recommendations. Alternative service 23. 8 While taking note of the draft law to amend and supplement the law on alternative military service, the Committee remains concerned by the State party’s acknowledgement that it continues to hold many individuals in detention for evading military service, some of