European Court of Human Rights started consideration of a complaint from four diplomats discharged in Armenia

European Court of Human Rights started studying a lawsuit of four employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia discharged in February, 2008. This was reported by Vage Grigoryan, the diplomats' representative.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that on March, 14, 2008, a trial on the lawsuit of the four diplomats discharged and deprived of their ranks after the statements they made on post-election processes in Armenia was held in the Administrative court. Vladimir Karapetyan, Karine Afrikyan, Marta Aivazyan and Arakel Semirjyan are four out of ten diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia who were discharged immediately after reading out their statement. Vardan Oskanyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of that time, declared that the diplomats violated clauses 40 and 44 of the law of Armenia "On Diplomatic Service". On May, 29, 2008, Administrative court rejected the demand of four ex-officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of reinstatement in office.

The lawsuit was submitted to European Court of Human Rights by ex-Director of Informational section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vladimir Karapetyan, ex-Director of the NATO section Marta Aivazyan, ex-Director of Department of America and Canada Karine Afrikyan and ex-Counsellor of Director of the Department of Europe Arakel Semirjyan. In their lawsuit submitted to ECHR they demand to acknowledge the fact of violation of their rights and pay them a fair compensation.

Lawyer Vage Grigoryan informed that Armenian Government had time till March, 15, 2012, left to produce its arguments, NEWS.am reports.

According to the lawyer, Vardan Oskanyan's order directly violated the right of freedom of expression. "It means that the four persons did not violate the limitations stipulated for diplomats. It was Vardan Oskanyan who went beyond his official authority", Grigoryan considers.

Neither does Grigoryan regard reading out the diplomats' statement at a meeting of Levon Ter-Petosyan's supporters in Svobodi square as a violation. "They did not declare their direct support of any political force. It was just the Minister's speculation. Later this speculation turned into a judgment", he said.

Vladimir Karapetyan, one of the ex-diplomats who appealed to ECHR and is currently member of Committee for external relations of Armenian National Congress headed by Levon Ter-Petosyan, said in connection with the case that the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia was incomprehensible to him for the Ministry discharged 11 diplomats who only expressed their concern about the situation that emerged in the country after the election. Meanwhile, when the Armenian Ambassador in Switzerland Charles Aznavour makes sharp political statements the Ministry of Foreign Affairs keeps silence, he added.

In connection with the case of the ex-diplomats Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Tigran Balayan declared that the Ministry would specify its position after its lawyers familiarized themselves with the questions put by the Court and made the respective conclusions about them.