On April 25, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will announce its verdict in the case of Ter-Petrosyan v. Republic of Armenia.

The ECHR website states that the case refers to concerns by First President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan about the interference with his freedom of assembly, the lack of an effective remedy, and his alleged placement under house arrest following the dispersal of a protest rally in March 2008 during the post-presidential-electoral developments in capital city Yerevan.

The case description reminds that the Armenian government rejects the applicant’s submissions, in particular, it states that after the hearing he asked to be taken home and did not want to leave his house until the state of emergency was lifted on March 20, 2008.

Relying on Article 5 § 1 (right to liberty and security), Article 2 of Protocol No. 4 (freedom of movement), Article 11 (freedom of assembly and association), and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention on Human Rights, Ter-Petrosyan complains that he was removed forcibly from Liberty Square in capital city Yerevan, while peacefully assembling, and then placed under house arrest on 1 March 2008 and that he did not have at his disposal an effective remedy in respect of this complaint. Relying on Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination), he complains that he was discriminated against on the grounds of his political view.

On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.