The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today announced its decision granting the application of Armenia’s ex-finance minister Gagik Khachatryan.

The Khachatryans’ attorneys issued the following press release: “The ECHR has demanded that the Government of Armenia ensures immediate treatment adequate to Khachatryan’s health condition in a civic hospital and by foreign doctors.

Gagik Khachatryan, who is 64 years old and has illegally been under custody for eleven months now, is in need of immediate surgery for spinal stenosis. Khachatryan’s attorneys have raised the issue in all court instances and law-enforcement bodies of Armenia, including the investigative body, the Prosecutor General’s Office and Armenian courts, but they have consistently overlooked and overlook the warnings and deprive Khachatryan of his fundamental rights to receive adequate treatment. The attorneys have even addressed the Human Rights Defender of Armenia and human rights organizations.

After being convinced that the competent state bodies of Armenia won’t ensure adequate treatment for Khachatryan and will continue to keep him under custody by all means, on June 11, 2020, the attorneys asked the ECHR to demand that the Government of Armenia transfer Khachatryan to a civic hospital and allow him to receive professional treatment.

We regret that even in the case of obvious risks posed to the life and health of a citizen of Armenia, we are compelled to ensure exercise of the right to adequate treatment only after the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights and with the demand of the latter.”

Gagik Khachatryan is charged with abuse of official powers and wasting of large sums of money. The charges concern the alleged crimes committed during his tenure as the SRC chief. Khachatryan was detained on August 27, 2019, and was arrested three days later.