The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Armenia violated the right to life of victims of the March 1, 2008 events and failed to conduct a proper investigation.
On September 18, the ECHR issued its judgment in Farmanyan v. Armenia, concerning the nine civilian victims of the March 1 crackdown. According to 1lurer.am , the court unanimously found that, except for the cases of Samvel Harutyunyan and Zakar Hovhannisyan, state actions led to violations of the victims’ right to life.
The court concluded that Armenian authorities did not carry out an effective and thorough investigation into the deaths. It also found a violation of Article 38 of the European Convention, which requires states to cooperate with the court.
Under the ruling, relatives of each victim must be paid €30,000 in non-pecuniary damages, while an additional €35,000 in total is awarded for legal costs and expenses.
Thus, the ECHR confirmed that Armenia failed to safeguard citizens’ right to life and did not ensure a fair investigation, obliging the state to provide compensation.
In March 2008, following presidential elections won by Serzh Sargsyan, opposition supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan staged protests in Yerevan. On March 1, security forces used firearms, explosives, and special measures to disperse demonstrators, leaving 8 civilians and 2 police officers dead.
