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Deputy Minister Asked For Bribe To Implement ECtHR Decision

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  • Deputy Minister Asked For Bribe To Implement ECtHR Decision

    Deputy Minister Asked For Bribe To Implement ECtHR Decision

    Roza Hovhannisyan, Reporter
    Law - Saturday, 05 July 2014, 14:33


    The European Court of Human Rights will resume the examination of
    applications of three families evicted from 25 Buzand Street at the
    center of Yerevan. These families were deprived of their property in
    the result of demolition of old center of Yerevan. The houses of this
    territory were demolished in 2004, and most affected families are
    still homeless. In 2011 the ECtHR passed a decision on the cases
    Baghdasaryan-Zarikyantses v Armenia, Gharibyan v Armenia and the
    Ghasabyans v Armenia but the government of Armenia has not implemented
    the decision yet.

    In 2010 the European Court informed the three families that the
    Armenian government is offering a settlement and proposes to provide
    them with apartments. "The European Court informed that the government
    is making a proposal and asked if we objected. We agreed, we never
    said that the government's offer was groundless, a sham. The European
    Court sent me an official letter in which the representative of
    Armenia to the ECtHR then Gevorg Kostanyan informed that the
    apartments would be provided to us," said the chairman of Victims of
    Eminent Domain NGO Sedrak Baghdasaryan one of the applicants of the
    abovementioned cases.

    In November 2011 ECtHR decided that the government of Armenia
    reconciled with the applicants of the abovementioned three cases and
    will provide them with apartments. According to the court decision,
    apartments 31, 117.7 square meters, apartment 47, 117.7 square meters,
    and apartment 63, 117.5 square meters at 4/6 Amiryan Street would be
    provided to applicants of Baghdasaryan-Zarikyantses v Armenia,
    Ghasabyans v Armenia and Gharibyan v Armenia respectively. These three
    families were notified of the ruling of the ECtHR by a separate
    letter.

    The ruling set a deadline of three months. The families waited for
    three months for the implementation of the ECtHR decision but having
    received no official letter, in February 2012 they wrote a letter to
    Gevorg Kostanyan who coordinated execution of ECtHR decisions,
    presently the prosecutor general. Two days after sending the letter
    the representatives of the three families were invited to the Ministry
    of Justice.

    "Ruben Melikyan, the ex-deputy minister of justice, met with us who is
    now the provost of the Academy of Justice. He told us we have to pay
    for the implementation of the court decision. I told Mr. Melikyan
    there was no single letter about money in the ruling of the European
    Court. It says that the court held that our rights have been violated
    in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the Armenian
    government must provide us with apartments. Is there any word there
    that I have to pay? He said no. If no, then why would I pay? He said
    you know what, we supposed that you would give us some money. I said
    you are a representative of a government body, I want to figure out
    whether the state gave us money through the court? The state did not
    give us money, the residents of the territories eligible for eminent
    domain received a payment for their property and ownership by the
    acquiring company, the state did not spend a cent. I was stunned that
    the deputy minister of justice was asking money from me for
    incomprehensible reasons," Sedrak Baghdasaryan told.

    Earlier, under a court ruling, Griar CJSC, the contractor, paid his
    family 23,000 USD for the house of 55.6 square meters and land at 25
    Buzand Street. However, Sedrak Baghdasayan was dissatisfied with the
    amount of compensation and applied to the European Court of Human
    Rights. He asked the ex-deputy minister whom he should pay the amount,
    the minister, the deputy minister or other high-ranking officials?
    Sedrak Baghdasaryan asked Ruben Melikyan to send him an official
    letter charging him the money, bringing the justification. "He said
    OK, I will send you a letter, but he did not. I haven't received such
    a letter," he said.

    "If an official demands money from me which is not envisaged in the
    court decision, it means he is asking for a bribe. And could the
    deputy minister take this step on his own? Of course, he couldn't.
    Consequently, he was told to do by the ex-minister of justice Hrair
    Tovmasyan, and Hrair Tovmasyan might have received orders from higher
    levels," Sedrak Baghdasaryan assumes.

    Since 2011 the abovementioned families have not received any official
    letter from the government explaining why the decision of ECtHR is not
    implemented. Over this period Sedrak Baghdasaryan has inquired from
    the State Real Estate Cadastre Committee whom the apartments 31, 40,
    63 at 4/6 Amiryan Street belong to. An official response came that the
    apartments had been sold a long time ago. "The government is swindling
    not only us but also the European Court," Sedrak Baghdasaryan says.

    The residents sent this document to the ECtHR, informing that the
    Armenian government has not executed the ruling, they have not been
    provided with apartments, and the mentioned apartments have other
    owners.

    The abovementioned families have learned that ECtHR will resume the
    examination of their cases. It means that most probably the ruling
    will be against the Republic of Armenia. And the Republic of Armenia
    cannot refuse to execute a ruling.

    Note that since 2007 the ECtHR has passed 14 rulings on applications
    of evicted residents of demolished areas of Yerevan against the
    Republic of Armenia. According to Sedrak Baghdasaryan, the total
    amount of compensations paid to victims is 500,000 euro.


    - See more at: http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/right/view/32693#sthash.VTGgOJuq.dpuf

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