Pashinyan on the March 1 Case and ECHR Decisions

Regarding the March 1 case, you know how personally invested I am, but my interest is also constrained by the fact that I am the Prime Minister, and I must avoid any potential undue influence that might arise from my position, which is problematic. I am very pleased with the decision made by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a press briefing with Armenian media in Strasbourg, addressing the ECHR ruling concerning the victims of March 1, which identified several violations by Armenia.

“We face dilemmas. First, how do we defend democracy, and how do we ensure that in the name of protecting democracy, we are not establishing an authoritarian regime? These are very serious dilemmas. If democracy is merely a label for you, it is easy; but if democracy is a conviction, it is much more challenging to operate because on one hand you see the vulnerability of democracy, and on the other hand, you say, hold on, within the name of protecting this vulnerability, you can take steps that lead you away from the democratic path. If it is a value for you, it is not so easy to act,” he noted.

“We need to confront our problems, and we must understand how these issues can be resolved. When I say the March 1 case is resolved, it is indeed resolved. Now all criminal proceedings are completely public. Everything is documented; absolutely everything is documented - the formation of illegal groups, their payments, who provided the money, who gave it to whom, and so on. The only thing is that all of this must be officially recorded in the judicial process. But you understand that every sentence I say on this topic can be used by all sides,” he added.

Pashinyan remarked, “The international community sees and appreciates our democracy more than we do ourselves,” adding that democracy has not yet reached the level it can potentially achieve.

Regarding the ECHR ruling, Pashinyan stated, “The ECHR decisions should serve as a serious signal that our entire judicial system has problems.” Earlier, we reported that on September 18, the European Court of Human Rights published its ruling in the case of “Farmanyan v. Armenia” concerning the March 1 victims, recording several violations by the Armenian government. According to the unanimous decision of the court, apart from Samvel Harutyunyan and Zakhar Hovhannisyan, in the case of all other victims, it has been confirmed that the actions of the state led to violations of the right to life.