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European Court of Human Rights standards shape Armenia’s extradition practice

Handling extradition requests requires courts to balance two important responsibilities. States must support international co-operation in fighting crime while ensuring that no person is returned to a country where they could face torture, ill-treatment, or an unfair trial.

National courts, in particular the Court of Cassation, must therefore assess carefully each individual case.

These challenges are becoming increasingly relevant as the number of extradition requests continues to grow, including from non-Council of Europe member States. 

To support national authorities in addressing these challenges, a workshop held on 18 March brought together judges of the Court of Cassation, representatives of the General Prosecutor’s Office, and officials from the Office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters.

Together with the representatives of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and Council of Europe experts, participants discussed legal and practical challenges and explored ways to ensure consistent application of European human rights standards.

In his opening remarks, Maxime Longangué, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, expressed his sincere appreciation to the national partners for their close co-operation and unwavering commitment. He underlined: “The workshop is part of a broader effort to build lasting capacity. No doubt strong professional dialogue between institutions is essential to address emerging challenges and promote consistent legal practice”.

Lilit Tadevosyan, the President of the Court of Cassation of the Republic of Armenia expressed gratitude to the Council of Europe for the initiative to organise the workshop, noting that the Court of Cassation actively cooperates with its institutions and emphasising the importance of the Council of Europe’s mission in the Republic of Armenia in promoting human rights, the rule of law, and the development of democratic institutions. Ms Tadevosyan further noted that the discussions on the topics included in the agenda of the workshop will greatly facilitate the effective application of progressive international standards in several key areas.

In her welcome speech Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan welcomed the organisation of the event in this engaging interagency format and noted: ‘’It is very important to discuss the specifics of the practical application of extradition in particular within the context of the European Court of Human Rights judgments and interagency co-operation’’.

The workshop was organised by the Council of Europe as part of its project “Further Support to the Implementation of the ECHR through effective execution of the European Court of Human Rights judgments in Armenia” implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA 18 MARCH 2026
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What is the goal and objective of the project?

The Project is a part of the continuous endeavor of the Council of Europe to support Armenia in the effective implementation of the European human rights standards with a specific focus on the problem of excessive length of proceedings, late or non-execution of national courts’ judgments, effective judicial control over the pre-trial stage of the proceedings, right to freedom assembly, and effective investigations into allegations of ill-treatment and deprivation of life. 

The Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia for 2023-2026 explicitly underlines the importance of the effective ECHR implementation as well as the need to enhancing the effectiveness of the ECHR system at national level. 

  Start date: January 2023

  Duration: 36 months

 Funding: EUR 800,000

Donor: Donors contributing to the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023–2026 and Human Rights Trust Fund

Contact person: Ms Gayane Hovhannisyan, Senior Project Officer

Who benefits from the project?
  • Office of the Representative of Armenia on International Legal Matters
  • Ministry of Justice
  • Court of Cassation
  • Supreme Judicial Council
  • Prosecutor General’s Office
  • Ministry of Internal Affairs
  • general public
How does the project work?

Building on the constructive co-operation established with the national partners, the Council of Europe will continue strengthening their capacities through the legal expertise, workshops, seminars and training on leading case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as relevant study visits so that the institutions are able to effectively play their role in the process of execution of European Court of Human Rights judgments by Armenia and that the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights is applied in a more harmonised way at national level.

What do we expect to achieve?
  • The national legislation and practice regarding the pre-trial detention, effective investigations of the alleged deprivation of life and ill-treatment, as well as freedom of assembly cases is further revised and aligned with the European standards.
  • The national legislation on the Compulsory Enforcement Service of the Ministry of Justice is improved to ensure proper regulatory framework and safeguards against late or non-execution of national courts’ judgments.
  • National authorities’ efforts on overseeing the execution of the ECtHR judgments are further enhanced and coordinated.
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