ECHR Rejects Azerbaijan's Request for Interim Measures

On May 9, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) denied a request from the relatives of two Azerbaijani citizens who recently crossed the Armenian border illegally, seeking interim measures against the Armenian government under Rule 39 of the ECHR’s regulations.

Specifically, the court was asked to apply interim measures on the grounds that the two Azerbaijani servicemen were allegedly subjected to treatment contrary to the right to life and obligation to refrain from torture while in Armenia. The Armenian government submitted a proper stance to the ECHR, asserting that the conventional rights of the Azerbaijani servicemen were adequately guaranteed in Armenia. In this context, the Armenian government also provided relevant evidence to the ECHR.

Based on the government’s position, the ECHR rejected the request for interim measures submitted by the relatives of the Azerbaijani servicemen against Armenia, as stated in the press release from the Office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Issues.

It is noteworthy that on April 10, it became known that Azerbaijani nationals were spotted in the Bnuni village of Sisian. Subsequently, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia confirmed that one Azerbaijani serviceman had been located and detained on Armenian territory, while another was still being searched for. On April 13, the Ministry announced the detention of the second Azerbaijani serviceman, who was suspected of murdering an employee of the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine.

On April 17, the prosecutor's office announced that the two Azerbaijani servicemen who crossed into Armenian territory were charged and both were remanded in custody. One of the Azerbaijanis, Agshin Babirov, was sentenced to 11 years and 6 months in prison, as reported by the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office. He was found guilty of illegally crossing the border and illegally transporting weapons and military supplies across the state border, and he admitted to the charges brought against him. The investigation into the second Azerbaijani, Huseyn Akhundov, who crossed the border with him, continues. He is also accused of murdering a guard at the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine.