European Court Obliges Armenia to Pay 20,000 Euros for Imprisoning Conscientious Objectors

On Jan. 10, 2012, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) released two new judgments protecting the right of conscientious objectors in the cases of Bukharatyan v. Armenia and Tsaturyan v. Armenia, both involving Jehovah’s Witnesses. These judgments come on the heels of the Bayatyan v. Armenia judgment announced by the Grand Chamber on Jul. 7, 2011, which concluded, for the first time in the history of the ECHR, that the right to conscientious objection to military service is fully protected under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, reads a press release issued by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Note, ECHR ruling stipulated that Armenia must pay 20,000 EUR to Vahan Bayatyan.

The two applicants, Hayk Bukharatyan and Ashot Tsaturyan, were sentenced in 2003 to two years of imprisonment by Armenian authorities for refusal to participate in military service. Armenia’s punitive actions toward Bukharatyan and Tsaturyan took place despite its previous commitment to the Council of Europe, in January 2001, to institute a genuine civilian alternative service for conscientious objectors and, in the meantime, to pardon all those already convicted. Bukharatyan and Tsaturyan appealed their cases to the ECHR around the same time as Vahan Bayatyan, stating that their rights were violated under Article 9 of the European Convention. Relying on the Bayatyan judgment, the ECHR concluded that Armenia violated Article 9 of the European Convention when it convicted and imprisoned Bukharatyan and Tsaturyan for their conscientious objection to military service.

To date, the Jehovah’s Witnesses press release continues, Armenian authorities continue to ignore the ECHR directives and have recently imprisoned five more conscientious objectors. Shane Brady, the attorney who represents these young men, stated: “These two judgments come at the right time. We hope the Armenian authorities will now reconsider their position and release the 58 young men that are currently incarcerated as conscientious objectors.”