Religion – Weltanschauung – Recht [ RWR ]

The applicants, Hayk Bukharatyan and Ashot Tsaturyan, are Armenian nationals who were both born in 1980 and live in Yerevan. Jehova’s Witnesses, they complained about being convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in April 2003 for refusing to serve in the army. They relied on Article 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

• Violation of Article 9 (in both cases)

Just satisfaction: € 6,000 (non-pecuniary damage) and € 4,000 (costs and expenses) to each applicant

Press release ECHR 004 (2012) 10/01/2012