ECHR Reviews Complaints from Armenia and Azerbaijan

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has accepted the complaints from Armenia and Azerbaijan against each other, alleging violations of the European Convention on Human Rights. This was reported in a press release published on the ECHR's official website.

According to the statement, the Grand Chamber will examine both interstate cases. It is noted that the applications primarily relate to the recent military actions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and include allegations of widespread violations of the Convention during the hostilities, such as attacks on civilians, as well as on private and public property and infrastructure, mistreatment and mutilation of soldiers and civilians, abduction and continued detention of prisoners of war, and the forced displacement of the civilian population from areas affected by military operations.

The application titled “Armenia v. Azerbaijan” was submitted to the European Court of Human Rights on September 27, 2020, while the “Azerbaijan v. Armenia” application was submitted on October 27, 2020.

“In the context of the mentioned interstate cases, the Court received requests for interim measures. Considering the opinion that the situation poses a serious risk of violations of the Convention, the Court scheduled interim measures according to Rule 39 of its rules of procedure and called upon Azerbaijan and Armenia to refrain from any actions, particularly military operations, that could infringe upon the rights of the civilian population, including putting their lives and health at risk, and to fulfill their obligations under the Convention,” the statement reads.

It is noted that on March 9, 2021, the Chamber, tasked with examining the mutual claims, informed the parties that the case would be reviewed by the Grand Chamber.