20:48, 3 April 2018

ECtHR accepts complaint lodged by relatives of killed Armenian soldiers

On the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: REUTERS/Staff

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg court has sent questions to Azerbaijani authorities concerning battles near the border village of Chinari, where one Azerbaijani and three Armenian soldiers perished.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 29, 2016, Armenia and Azerbaijan blamed each other of an act of sabotage, which led to losses suffered by both sides. On February 5, the body of the military Chingiz Gurbanov was handed over to Azerbaijan.

The complaint to the ECtHR was lodged by relatives of three Armenian soldiers killed near the village of Chinari, Tavush Region of Armenia.

According to the complaint, all the three – Edgar Narayan, Erik Abovyan and Shavarsh Melikyan – were shot dead by the Azerbaijani Chingiz Gurbanov, when they went to take some water. The casualties were unarmed.

Azerbaijan has recognized the murder and glorified Gurbanov's actions by naming a street in his honour, the Radio "Azatutyun" has reported.

"This is an entirely new context... This time the case concerns Azerbaijan's encroachment on Armenia's territory," Ara Gazaryan, a lawyer, has stated as quoted by the "News-Armenia".

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.