The applicants of the Constitutional Court of Armenia had requested that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) apply a so-called provisional or interim measure for Armenia, based on which the Court has proposed certain questions to the Government of Armenia in order to have a sufficient amount of information and necessary materials to announce its decision. The Government of Armenia has already sent the answers to the ECHR, and I believe the decision will be announced this week. This is what Chairperson of the Professional Commission on Constitutional Reforms, Representative of the Government of Armenia before the ECHR Yeghishe Kirakosyan told Azatutyun when asked what answers the Government of Armenia has given to the questions of the ECHR in response to the application filed by three judges of the Constitutional Court (CC).

According to Kirakosyan, as a rule, application of the interim measure by the ECHR is restricted in case of a danger posed to life and health, when there can be irreversible consequences for the rights of applicants, and the Court can apply an interim measure to prevent such irreversible consequences.

“The Court can either reject the applicants’ request and not make any decision, or it can make a decision. The Court is free to formulate the content of the measure,” Yeghishe Kirakosyan stated.

When asked if there is a practice in the ECHR of applying an interim measure or binding the Government of Armenia to suspend constitutional reforms, Kirakosyan said he doesn’t believe the events will develop in such a way and doesn’t think the Court has such powers. He also stressed that there are no sufficient justifications for application of the measure.