SLAIN ARMENIAN CAPTIVE’S PARENTS TO SUE AZERBAIJAN AT EUROPEAN COURT
Tert.am
10:38 27.09.11
The parents of Manvel Saribekyan, an Armenian citizen caught and
tortured to death by the Azerbaijani armed forces in September 2010,
have decided to file a lawsuit against Azerbaijan at the European
Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
According to the First Armenian TV Channel, Saribekyan’s parents find
Azerbaijan in violation of several rights guaranteed by the European
Convention on Human Rights (including his right to life).
“The [General] Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Armenia, as
well as the inquest body should do everything possible to protect and
reinstate Saribekyan’s rights and interests as a citizen of Armenia.
And the Prosecutor’s Office will furnish his relatives with all
the documentation necessary for applying to the European Court,”
Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan said.
Manvel Saribekyan was an Armenian shepherd who, due to foggy
weather conditions lost his orientation on September 11, 2010,
and inadvertently crossed into Azerbaijani border together with his
cattle. He had been caught by Azerbaijani armed forces and held in
captivity. Later in October he was reported to have committed suicide
~V something the Armenian side denies.
On November 4, 2010 Azerbaijan repatriated Saribekyan~Rs body in a
swap deal in pursuant of a recent agreement reached by Armenian and
Azerbaijani presidents in Astrakhan, Russia.
A subsequent forensic examination revealed traces of torture on
Saribekyan’s body. To ensure impartiality of inquest procedures,
Armenia’s prosecutor general applied to his Azerbaijani counterpart
to find out whether the country is conducting an inquest. But his
request remained unanswered and even a motion filed by the Russian
prosecutor general did not help the process.