European Court rules against Armenia in six cases linked to Teghout mine, 14 February 2019

On February 14, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) delivered six judgements against Armenia for the expropriation of the applicants’ land for mining in Shnogh and Teghout villages.

Overall, Armenia has to pay €69,400 to the villagers concerned...

In 2001, a private company, Armenian Copper Programme CJSC, was granted a mining license for the exploitation of the Teghout copper‑molybdenum deposit for a period of twenty-five years.

On 1 November 2007 the Government adopted Decree no. 1279-N approving the designation of territories situated within the administrative boundaries of the rural communities of Shnogh and Teghout as expropriation zones, to be taken for State needs, thus changing the land use category.

According to the Decree, Armenian Copper Programme CJSC or Teghout CJSC, founded by the former for the purpose of the implementation of the Teghout copper-molybdenum deposit exploitation project, were to acquire the units of land listed in its annexes. The plots of land belonging to the applicants were listed among the units of land falling within these expropriation zones.

The ECHR ruled different amounts of money to be reimbursed to the applicant villagers under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, concerning the deprivation of the applicant’s property...