Crackdowns on opposition protests in Armenia

Background

After the 2008 presidential election, rallies began in Yerevan’s Freedom Square to protest against alleged irregularities in the vote. The police intervened and broke up the protest in the middle of the night.

The authorities subjected participants in the protest to a series of human rights violations. Ten people were killed.

Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights

The Court found that the dispersal of the peaceful protest and detention of the participants had been disproportionate and unnecessary. The police had subjected a number of participants in the protests to unlawful arrest, physical ill-treatment, and unjustified detention in inhuman and degrading conditions.  

Implementation

Although the first judgment on the events was issued by the European Court of Human Rights in 2018, as of December 2019 the Armenian authorities have not submitted appropriate documentation to the Council of Europe in regard to their plans to safeguard the right to public protest and prevent wrongful conduct by the authorities in future cases.

• Summary of cases on Hudoc-EXEC