Epress.am News from Armenia
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has communicated the case of “Arthur Hakobyan against the Republic of Armenia,” filed by lawyers Yervand Varosyan and Lusine Sahakyan.
In an interview with Epress.am Varosyan told the backstory of the case: on the night of June 27, 2009 Arthur Hakobyan came across several traffic police officers who, according to the lawyer, provoked a fight with Hakobyan, took him to the police station and beat him. Subsequently, Hakobyan was accused of using violence against a representative of authorities and even jailed. Armenia’s Special Investigative Service, however, terminated the criminal proceedings, revoked the arrest, and recognized Hakobyan as a victim. The man, Varosyan said, had sustained multiple severe injuries and fractures. Nevertheless, the police officers were never brought to justice in domestic courts.
According to the suit filed with the ECHR, the Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (prohibition of torture) has been violated: the plaintiff claims he was subjected to torture at the police station and did not receive any medical care. Moreover, “the case was not investigated effectively and, as a result, perpetrators have still not been punished.”