European Court rules Azerbaijan violated Armenian’s right to lifeJanuary 30, 2020 - 15:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Baku violated the right to life of Manvel Saribekyan, an Armenian national, while he was detained in Azerbaijan. Saribekyan was arrested in Azerbaijan in September 2010. His family said he inadvertently crossed the border in the fog in a forest while looking for wood and stray cattle, however, the Azerbaijani authorities accused him of being a saboteur. He was taken to the Military Police Department of the Ministry of Defence in Baku and placed in a cell, where he was found dead in October 2010, with the Azerbaijani authorities alleging that he had “hanged himself.” The Armenian side believes, however, that Saribekyan was either killed or was forced to commit suicide. The applicants, Mamikon Saribekyan and Siranush Balyan, are Manvel’s parents. They complained under Article 2 (right to life), Article 3 (prohibition of torture and of inhuman or degrading treatment), Article 13 (right to an effective remedy), and Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) in conjunction with Articles 2 and 3 that their son was tortured and killed in detention; that the Azerbaijani authorities did not carry out an effective investigation; that they had no effective legal remedy; and that the alleged violations occurred because of discrimination based on ethnic origin. The court decided on Thursday, January 30 that there has been a violation of Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and ordered Azerbaijan to pay €60,000 in non-pecuniary damage and €2,200 to cover costs and expenses. The ruling also highlighted the Azerbaijani authorities’ failure to consider whether ethnic hatred had been a contributing factor in victim’s death and the torture to which he had been subjected, and their lack of communication with victim’s relatives and Armenian authorities. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” |