The European Court of Human Rights ruled in the case of Karine Hambardzumyan, an Armenian citizen, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for receiving a bribe.

The Court held that Armenia was to pay the applicant 1,200 euros (EUR) in respect of non-pecuniary as there has been a violation of Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention (the right to respect for private and family life).

Karine Hambardzumyan worked as deputy head of the female department of the Abovyan correctional facility. After one of the prisoners complained that she had requested a bribe for transferring to an open regime prison, the authorities received permission from the court to conduct secret surveillance of Karine.

In her lawsuit in the ECHR, a woman stated that the police did not have a valid court order to secretly monitor her during a criminal investigation. The ECHR ruled the warrant was not specific enough in relation to the person being monitored.

The warrant also does not list specific measures that should have been taken against the applicant. The observation was contrary to the Convention on Human Rights in this case.