Nikol Pashinyan wins case against Armenia in ECtHR

National courts in Armenia did not provide sufficient evidence of the Nikol Pashinyan’s guilt in organizing mass riots in March 2008, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) reports today. The Strasbourg Court pointed to a violation of the complainant’s rights, but did not award compensation, since Nikol Pashinyan did not request it.

Today, the ECtHR has considered the complaint filed by Nikol Pashinyan concerning criminal prosecution after opposition rallies in 2008. In his complaint, Nikol Pashinyan pointed to the violation of Articles 10 (freedom of expression) and Article 11 (freedom of peaceful assembly and association) of the European Convention on Human Rights. According to the decision pronounced by the ECtHR in the case of “Pashinyan v. Armenia”, in his complaint, Nikol Pashinyan noted that his criminal prosecution was politically motivated, the arguments of prosecutors and the court were largely based on speeches and declarations made by him during peaceful demonstrations on Freedom Square, which took place from February 20 to March 2, 2008.

The ECtHR noted that the national courts of Armenia that considered the Nikol Pashinyan’s case did not provide sufficient evidence of his guilt and did not fulfil their obligations to substantiate the court’s decisions. The Strasbourg Court found a violation of the Nikol Pashinyan’s rights to liberty and security of person (Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights) and to freedom of peaceful assembly, reads the decision, posted today on the official website of the ECtHR.

No compensation has been awarded in the case. “The complainant did not submit a claim for just compensation,” the ECtHR’s document emphasizes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 18, 2022 at 03:30 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.