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DECISIONS OF EUROPEAN COURT REACH US IN HALF A YEAR

Politics

The European Court of Human Rights has issued its first verdict against the Republic of Armenia this winter. Armen Mkrtchyan, member of the National Renaissance party has not yet received that decision. Armen Mkrtchyan had applied to the European Court in 2003 to dispute his right of free movement violated by the RA authorities during the 2002 gatherings and rallies, when he was brought to the police station and arrested for a night and fined 500 drams.

The European Court’s decision should have been enforced 100 days after it was made, but Armen Mkrtchyan has not received an official response from the RA Ministry of Justice.

“I do not know whether one deals with a state or not”, said Armen Mkrtchyan. According to the rule, the decision of the Court should be translated officially and sent to the applicant, so that the latter will be able to take further steps in accordance with RA legislation.

Deputy Minister of Justice Gevorg Kostanyan, who is the RA representative to the European Court informed us that the decision of the Court “Armen Mkrtchyan aginst the Republic of Armenia” had been translated but they do not have the authority to give it to Armen Mkrtchyan.

“We have translated the decision and sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to authenticate the translation. It will be uploaded on our website when it is ready”, responded the media department of the Justice Ministry.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they received the translation of the decision only yesterday, and their function was to identify the translation.

When the translation of the decision is verified it will be sent back to the Ministry of Justice. Afterwards, it will be uploaded on the Ministry’s official website.

Armen Mkrtchyan has the right to apply to the Court of Cessation without applying to the First Instance Court or to the Appeal Court and use the decision of the European Court as a precedent for all 200 people, who faced similar charges in the court but had not applied to the European Court.

Reflecting on Serge Sargsyan’s statement that Europe liked to talk but did not take measures, for example in opening Turkish frontiers with Armenia, Armen Mkrtchyan said: “And you like to talk about European integration, but what do you do on the matter? When you take appropriate measures, then you will receive a corresponding response from Europe”.