Three former Armenian prisoners have declined to file with the ECHR: Lapshin

Alexander Lapshin, a Russian-Israeli blogger, has said that three of the four former Armenian prisoners whom he, together with French lawyers, had been helping prepare complaints against Azerbaijan to the European Court of Human Rights, have declined to go to the court.

According to him, after the documents were prepared, they told him that “someone very important in Armenia” had advised them not to file the complaints. Lapshin did not specify who the recommendation might have come from and provided no confirmation of the alleged pressure.

The fourth former prisoner was Gevorg Sujyan. According to the blogger, he decided to use the services of other lawyers. Lapshin has no information as to whether Sujyan’s complaint was subsequently filed with the ECHR.

Lapshin had previously published an interview with Sujyan about torture and abuse he suffered while held in Azerbaijan. The blogger links that publication to his being denied entry into Armenia on April 5. Armenian authorities have not publicly confirmed this version of events.