NOYAN TAPAN, MAY 15, 2003. The Legal Consulting Center for Appealing to the
European Court of Human Rights on May 14. The Center set up by the Armenian
Association on International Law functions since this year. A rather ample number
of citizens use the Center's services and around 10 complaints have already
been drafted and forwarded to the European Court, the chairman of the association
counsel, RA Constitutional Court deputy head Vladimir Hovhannisian claimed.
The complaints, mainly refer to the violation of fair legal procedures, complaints,
referring to the right to property and right to the efficient means of legal
protection have also been composed.
The objective of the Center is to render free professional aid to the citizens who have no necessary means to pay drafting claims to be presented to the European Court, especially, since there is a fixed order of appeal to the European Court which is not available to all the lawyers so far. The Center is planned to be turned into a theoretical practical center where the people will be able to gain information on the European Court activities as well as on the relations between the European Court and national courts, Mr. Hovhannisian said.
The more often the citizens will sue their states, the bigger
will be the gain of democracy, the CC deputy head believes. "The legally
correct drafting of complaints to be referred to the European Court is the matter
of honor for us," underscored Mr. Hovhannisian. The American Bar Association
and the USAID-backed Center published in Armenian verdicts and the regulations
of the European Court comments to separate articles of the European Human Rights
Convention are also being prepared for publication.