The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Azerbaijan violated several provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of V.T. and Others v. Azerbaijan concerning the death and mutilation of an Armenian soldier during the April 2016 escalation in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.
In its judgment delivered on June 18, the Court found violations of Article 2 (right to life) and Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) of the Convention.
The applicants, identified as V.T., L.V., and A.G., are the parents and sister of H.T., a major in the armed forces of the then Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. They alleged that H.T. was captured by Azerbaijani forces during the four-day military clashes in April 2016, tortured, decapitated, and mutilated before being killed.
According to the case file, H.T.’s body was discovered near the village of Talish, close to the line of contact. An investigation conducted by the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities and a forensic examination by an Armenian expert concluded that H.T. had sustained serious injuries after his military vehicle was ambushed and that his hands and head had been severed while he was still alive.
The Court found that H.T. had been subjected to torture and that Azerbaijan was responsible for violating his right to life. It also held that the treatment inflicted on him constituted a violation of Article 3 of the Convention.
In addition, the ECHR found a separate violation of Article 3 concerning the suffering endured by H.T.’s family members. The Court noted that the applicants were unable to recover all of H.T.’s remains and conduct a proper burial, causing them severe mental anguish and distress.
The Court awarded the applicants compensation for non-pecuniary damage, granting €60,000 jointly to H.T.’s parents and €30,000 to his sister. It also ordered Azerbaijan to pay €14,210 in legal costs and expenses.
The case is one of a number of applications before the Court related to allegations of atrocities committed during the April 2016 hostilities between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. According to the Court, 21 similar applications remain pending.
