Nagorno-Karabakh: Baku reminds ECHR of its verdict

The Azerbaijani representative to the European Court, Chingiz Askerov, sent a letter to the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Dean Spielmann, in connection with the large number of applications by Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons.

He recalled that the Court has recently made a contribution to the legal aspects of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. On 16 June 2015, the Court delivered its judgments in Chiragov and Others v. Armenia and Sargsyan v. Azerbaijan. These applications were filed on 6 April 2005 and 11 August 2006. The respondents received their answers in June-July 2007.

In June 2008, the Court gave Azerbaijan notice of another application – Arakelyan v. Azerbaijan. The parties’ submissions were made by the end of April 2009. Following the judgment in the Sargsyan case, the Court has resumed examination of Arakelyan’s application and asked the parties to make further submissions.

"In this connection I should draw your attention to the fact that a large number of applications lodged by Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons against the Republic of Armenia are pending before the Court as from 2005. According to the information received by the Government of Azerbaijan, these applications concern not only the alleged violation of property rights or the right to respect for private and family life, but also alleged violations of the right to life and the prohibition of torture. There were also applications from victims of the act of genocide in Khojaly," 1news.az cited Askerov as saying.

He also spoke about Azerbaijani nationals Firuze Askerova and Albina Veselova, who filed an application concerning alleged violations of the rights of their husbands, who were forced out of their homes in the Kalbajar district of Azerbaijan by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. They wanted to visit the the graves of their relatives in Kalbajar, but were sentenced to long-term imprisonment. 

The Court gave priority under Rule 41 to more than ten applications against the Republic of Azerbaijan. 

"Azerbaijan objects against such treatment of applications by the Court, which should, at least, demonstrate impartiality and fairness towards all Europeans," he noted.