The end justified the means. Judges pursuing their interests or executing political orders do not at all think of further rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

The lawyers Vahe Grigoryan and Hovik Arsenyan, as well as the human rights activist Vardan Harutyunyan, are of the unanimous opinion that lawyers point to violations of law during trials and warn of their intention to apply to the ECHR. However, courts go on “doing justice.”

“This is our judges’ working style,” Grigoryan said. “The compensations are paid at the expense of pensioners, from taxes paid by ordinary citizens,” he added.

In returning verdicts, Armenia’s courts are guided by their “everyday interests” rather than by European standards. “They are well aware of the fact that they violate human rights and that verdicts not in Armenia’s favor will later be returned, at the expense of taxpayers,” he added.

According to him, Armenian judges will only be concerned over this if they themselves pay the compensations.

Grigoryan believes that the ECHR verdicts do not largely arouse concern, because they are only consequences. Justice must be done in Armenia as only individual cases reach the ECHR.

“In violating human rights, both judges and the government reckon on people’s inability to apply to the European Court. See the residents of Byuzand Street. Thousands of families were kicked out of their homes, their property was misappropriated, but only a dozen applied to the European Court,” Grigoryan said.

Since 2005, the ECHR has returned about 30 verdicts against Armenia.