Alaverdyan: Armenia should apply to ECHR over Smbat Tsakanyan case

Armenia should apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the case of 17-year-old Smbat Tsakanyan killed in Karvachar region of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the first Armenian Ombudsperson, chairwoman of Against Legal Arbitrariness NGO Larisa Alaverdyan told the correspondent of Aysor.am.

Besides, legal proceedings should start in the case under the laws of Armenia and Artsakh, after which a suit may be filed to ECHR, Ms. Alaverdyan said.

“Legal procedures should be initiated and then Armenia may apply to the ECHR. It is hard to predict who will be held accountable and if Azerbaijan’s representatives will appear in court so it will be necessary to apply to European Court of Human Rights. The Armenian side has that right because there were killed and wounded persons,” L. Alaverdyan noted.

In her words, Armenia should do its best to file a lawsuit to ECHR - Armenia has no other option to bring those guilty to account.
“Otherwise Azerbaijan will go unpunished,” Larisa Alaverdyan said.