ECHR Rules Against Armenia in March 1 Victims' Case

On September 18, the European Court of Human Rights published its judgment in the case of "Farmanyan v. Armenia," concerning the nine victims of March 1.

The Court found that there had been a number of violations by the Republic of Armenia. According to the court's unanimous decision, with the exception of Samvel Harutyunyan and Zakar Hovhannisyan, it was established in the case of all other victims that the state's actions led to a violation of the right to life.

In particular, it was recorded that the Armenian authorities did not conduct an effective and full investigation into the circumstances of the victims' deaths. The judgment also recorded a violation of Article 38 of the European Convention, which concerns the state's obligation to cooperate with the court.

According to the decision, within the framework of each application, the relatives of the deceased must be paid 30,000 euros as compensation for non-pecuniary damage. In addition, the court decided to allocate a total of another 35,000 euros to the applicants for legal costs and fees.

In fact, with this judgment, the ECHR confirmed that the Armenian authorities violated the right to life of the deceased citizens and did not ensure a fair investigation. The state, according to the judgment, is obliged to pay financial compensation to the affected families.