Yesterday, the European Court of Human Rights, in the “Case of Grigoryan v. Armenia”, partially found in favour of the plaintiff and has obligated the RA government to pay Vahe Grigoryan EUR 2,500 in non-pecuniary damages.

Grigoryan, a member of the Chamber of Advocates, had been arrested on October 10, 2005 in conjunction with his defense of 4 families facing eviction from their homes on Pyuzant Street in Yerevan.

He was charged on suspicion of having misappropriated a large sum of money in collusion with another individual by using forged documents.

Grigoryan alleged, in particular, that he had been unlawfully deprived of his liberty between 9.50 p.m. on 10 October 2005 and 5.05 a.m. on 11 October 2005, that the domestic courts had failed to provide relevant and sufficient reasons for his continued detention, that he had no enforceable right to compensation of a non-pecuniary nature and that the criminal proceedings against him were lengthy.

Alleged violation of Article 5 § 1 - The applicant complained that his right to liberty was violated during the first detention hearing and that the extension of his detention on 2 December 2006 was not carried out in compliance with the time-limits prescribed by law. 

Alleged violation of Article 6 § 1 - The applicant complained that the length of the criminal proceedings against him was in violation of the “reasonable time” requirement of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention.

 In its verdict, the ECHR found that there had been no violation of Article 5 § 1 of the Convention; and that there has been a violation of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention.