Another Verdict Issued Against Azerbaijan: Representative of Armenia at ECHR

The office of the representative of Armenia at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has issued a statement: “Another verdict has been issued against Azerbaijan regarding the policy of anti-Armenian sentiment pursued by the Azerbaijani authorities. The assassination attempt on journalist-blogger Alexander Lapshin, who was imprisoned in Baku following his visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, and the ineffective investigation conducted by the Azerbaijani authorities were classified as violations of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the right to life.

Specifically, on May 20, 2020, the European Court of Human Rights recorded violations of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, both in its substantive and procedural aspects, in the case of “Lapshin v. Azerbaijan.” The case pertains to the assassination attempt against the applicant during their time in Baku prison, concerning which the relevant authorities in Azerbaijan conducted no proper investigation.

The European Court found that the investigation into the incident that occurred in prison was ineffective and violated Azerbaijan's procedural obligations as stipulated in Article 2 of the European Convention. The European Court also noted that Azerbaijan, bearing the burden of proof, failed to provide reasonable and sufficient explanations regarding the incident that endangered the applicant's life, which resulted in a violation of the substantive aspect of Article 2 of the European Convention. The European Court ordered Azerbaijan to pay the applicant €30,000 as compensation for non-material damage.