Disgraceful Verdict, A Harsh Assessment of Kocharian’s Armenia: MP

Arman Babajanyan, a member of the "Bright Armenia" faction of the National Assembly, wrote on his Facebook page: "A WARNING TO CITIZENS WHO BECAME VICTIMS OF FORMER REGIMES AND THEIR EXECUTIONERS. The recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which requires the Armenian government to pay 1.6 million euros to citizen Y. Vardanyan, has understandably and justly provoked the outrage of a significant part of the public, becoming one of the most discussed topics in recent days.

This is truly a disgraceful verdict, which represents a harsh assessment of Kocharian’s Armenia. Moreover, it is only one of several rulings of a similar nature, and it is not excluded that it will set a precedent for other cases concerning violations of citizens' property rights being examined in the ECHR.

Thus, Armenian society has to pay yet again, this time a rather considerable amount, for the crimes of the previous criminal regime. In discussions regarding this topic, the question often arises: why should the state, which in reality means the citizens, pay for the illegal rulings of certain judges? This issue lacks institutional and legal regulation, but it exists and should become the subject of discussion among all of us to find appropriate solutions.

In reality, although we often speak about the systemic nature of the illegalities of the previous authorities, the violations committed at least in individual cases are quite specific and have names and surnames. In the specific case of Y. Vardanyan, the illegal ruling that served as the basis for the ECHR's decision was made by the notorious judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan, who embodies the criminality of the Kocharian and Sargsyan regimes. A significant part of the loudest trials of the past two decades in Armenia has taken place under the presidency of Martirosyan, from the trial of the murder of Poghose Poghosyan to the "Seven Case".

Mnatsakan Martirosyan and his ilk are the concrete implementers of the systemic illegality and criminality of the previous two authorities, in a sense, the executioners of the former regimes. Due to the verdicts issued by these executioners, the fates of dozens, hundreds of people have been distorted; many found themselves on the streets, some paid with their lives, and today the state, we as taxpayers also pay financially.

This is a disgrace to all those citizens who have become victims of the former regimes and their executioners. Therefore, the state, the authorities, all of us must find appropriate legal and political solutions and legislative regulations to individualize and address the responsibility for previously rendered illegal decisions and the respective verdicts of the ECHR based on those decisions.

Furthermore, this could parallel the vetting process to be carried out among judges, as a number of judges still in office previously passed rulings that could lead to further ECHR verdicts against Armenia in the near future."