ECHR Orders Armenian Government to Pay €24,000 to Family of Student Who Died in School Brawl

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today issued a ruling regarding the case of ten-year-old Derenik Gasparyan, who died eleven years ago due to a brawl at one of the schools in Charentsavan.

The Strasbourg court found that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the school authorities failed to fulfill their duty under Article 2 of the Convention to provide the necessary protection for Derenik's life. This was highlighted in a statement released by the court.

The child's relatives had argued in their complaint to the ECHR that Derenik's death resulted from the failure of the school director and teachers to perform their duties while the child was under their supervision. They also accused the authorities of not conducting an effective investigation.

The European court acknowledged in this regard that the preliminary investigation into the circumstances surrounding the student's death faced significant shortcomings and delays. "The questioning of witnesses, the gathering of evidence, and the initiation of criminal proceedings were not carried out in a timely manner, and there were omissions right from the initial stages before the criminal case was opened," the statement noted.

The court has ordered Armenia to compensate the child's family with €24,000 for the inadequate investigation.