Another judgment regarding the Armenophobic policy by Azerbaijani authorities has been issued against Azerbaijan. The European Court of Human Rights found violations of Article 2 of the Convention –right to life – by the Azerbaijani authorities for the attempt on Alexander Lapshin’s life and the ineffective investigation in that respect while at the Baku prison, where he had appeared for his visit to Nagorno Karabakh.
In particular, on 20 May 2020 the European Court of Human Rights held violations of Article 2 (right to life: both substantive and procedural aspects) of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of Lapshin v. Azerbaijan.
The case concerns the attempt on the applicant’s life while in prison in Baku in relation to which the Azerbaijani authorities failed to conduct an effective investigation.
The European Court of Human Rights found that the inquiry into the prison incident had been ineffective and in breach of the respondent State’s procedural obligations under Article 2 of the Convention. It found that Azerbaijan had failed to satisfy the burden of proof resting on it to provide a satisfactory and convincing explanation as regards the incident during which the applicant’s life had been in danger, which entails a violation of Article 2 of the Convention under its substantive limb.
The Court held that Azerbaijan was to pay the applicant EUR 30,000 in respect of non-pecuniary damage.
Representative of Armenia before the ECHR