South Caucasus countries in the ECHR Statistics 2019
On 30 January, the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) published their statistics for the year 2019. The document provides different statistical results about the cases examined by the Court during the year 2019.
The Court’s statistics for 2019 show an increase in the number of incoming applications allocated to a judicial formation. This can be explained principally by an increase in the number of applications allocated coming from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. In 2019 44,500 applications were allocated to a judicial formation, an overall increase of 3% compared with 2018 (43,100).
The countries with the most cases pending before the court were Russia (15,037 cases, or around 1/4 of the total), Turkey (9,236 cases, or around 15,5%) and Ukraine (8,827 cases, or around 15%); followed by Italy (3050 cases, 5,1%), Azerbaijan (1950 cases, 3,3%) and Armenia (1650 cases, 2,8%). Georgia also recorded a 30% increase in new applications to the court.
Armenia had 1650 cases in total before the court. 1359 of those cases await its first examination, 186 were communicated, 86 were ordered to a single judge or committee, and 4 were admissible. In total, 41 judgements concerning Armenia were delivered, 63 were communicated to the government, 372 declared inadmissible and 148 allocated to a judicial formation. In the year 2019, 20 judgements were delivered in regard to Armenia, and in 18 of them, at least one violation was found. The highest number of cases was recorded in regard to the protection of property (9), followed by the right for a fair trial (4) and right to an effective remedy (3).
Azerbaijan had 1950 cases in total before the court. 1320 of those cases await its first examination, 602 were communicated, 24 were ordered to a single judge or committee, and 12 were admissible. In total, 56 judgements concerning Azerbaijan were delivered, 108 were communicated to the government, 427 declared inadmissible and 397 allocated to a judicial formation. In the year 2019, 21 judgements were delivered in regard to Azerbaijan, and in 18 of them, at least one violation was found. The highest number of cases was recorded in regard to the right to liberty and security (7), followed by the category of other articles in the European Convention for Human Rights (6) and freedom of assembly and association (4).
Georgia had 600 cases in total before the court. 438 of those cases await its first examination, 119 were communicated, 40 were ordered to a single judge or committee, and 3 were admissible. In total, 14 judgements concerning Georgia were delivered, 17 were communicated to the government, 1390 declared inadmissible and 131 allocated to a judicial formation. In the year 2019, 14 judgements were delivered in regard to Georgia, and in 13 of them, at least one violation was found. The highest number of cases was recorded in regard to the right of a fair trial (7), followed by inhuman and degrading treatment (2).