YEREVAN. – A short time ago, we have already sent the fifth complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

Hayk Alumyan, an attorney of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, noted the aforesaid at a press conference on Saturday.

In his words, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) states that each and everyone who is deprived of his freedom has the right to challenge the decision on his detention; and if the latter is unlawful, the higher instance court is obligated to immediately release him.

“On December 25, we have filed an appeal with the Court of Cassation [of Armenia], and the court not only did not examine, but, also, it has not even decided on the matter of whether or not to process [it], until now,” Alumyan stated. “[So] we [Kocharyan’s legal defense team] decided that the shortest way to make something clear to the Court of Cassation is petitioning to the ECtHR.”

Alumyan noted that Armenian laws are subordinate to the ECHR. 

Robert Kocharyan, who is a defendant in the criminal case into the tragic events that occurred in downtown capital city Yerevan in March 2008, is remanded in custody since December 7, 2018.

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.