SAMADBAYLI AND OTHERS v. AZERBAIJAN JUDGMENT
1
In the case of Samadbayli and Others v. Azerbaijan,
The European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting as a
Committee composed of:
Erik Møse, President,
Yonko Grozev,
Lәtif Hüseynov, judges,
and Anne-Marie Dougin, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 21 March 2017,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in ten applications (nos. 36821/11, 37656/11,
37661/11, 37740/11, 37866/11, 38636/11, 38885/11, 41066/11, 42345/11
and 42360/11) against the Republic of Azerbaijan lodged with the Court
under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by ten Azerbaijani nationals,
Mr Arzu Habib oglu Samadbayli, Mr Yagub Mahammad oglu Babali,
Ms Leyla Ilgar qizi Mustafayeva, Mr Soltanhamid Hilal oglu Malikov,
Mr Ali Amirhuseyn oglu Kerimli, Mr Giyas Boyukaga oglu Sadigov,
Ms Sitara Mehdi qizi Zeynalova, Mr Panah Chodar oglu Huseyn, Mr Adil
Abulfat oglu Geybulla, and Mr Isa Yunis oglu Gambar (“the applicants”),
on various dates in 2011.
2. The applicants were represented by Mr I. Aliyev, a lawyer practising
in Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani Government (“the Government”) were
represented by their Agent, Mr Ç. Asgarov.
3. On 15 October 2013 (application no. 36821/11), on 18 November
2013 (applications nos. 37656/11, 37661/11, 37740/11, 37866/11, 38636/11
and 38885/11) and on 9 December 2013 (applications nos. 41066/11,
42345/11 and 42360/11) the applications were communicated to the
Government. The applicants and the Government each submitted written
observations on the admissibility and merits of the case. Observations were
also received from the International Commission of Jurists (the ICJ), to
whom the President had given leave to intervene as a third party in the
written procedure (Article 36 § 2 of the Convention and Rule 44 § 3 of the
Rules of Court).