ECHR Rules Against Armenia in Two Cases Regarding March 1st

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that a number of clauses of the European Convention on Human Rights were violated in the case of Mushegh Saghatelyan, who was a March 1st protester. The violated rights include the right to be free from torture, inviolability of personal liberty, fair trial and freedom to assembly and union. Saghatelyan was accused for carrying a cold weapon and applying violence jeopardizing the life and health of the representative of the state.

The ECHR obliged the government of Armenia to pay 15.600 EUR to the claimant for moral damage, as well as 5000 EUR for court expenses.

Mushegh Saghatelyan, representative of Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s electoral office of Shirak Marz, a former head of the department of prisons, was imprisoned on March 1st of 2008 and was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment and was fined an amount worth 900.000 AMD.

ECHR has also ruled on the case of Vartges Gaspari, a civic activist accused for applying violence against the representative of the state. The Court has found that the government of Armenia violated the rights to freedom from torture and personal liberty and obliged Armenia to pay 4000EUR as moral compensation.