CEDH · CASELAW;DECISIONS;ADMISSIBILITYCOM;ENG — 21 mars 2024

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font-size:8pt; font-weight:bold; color:#424242 } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .sAB95A5CB { font-family:Arial; font-size:5.33pt; font-weight:bold; vertical-align:super; color:#424242 } .sBB8C798C { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; font-weight:bold; vertical-align:super; color:#424242 } .sB4A34A58 { width:4.92%; border:0.75pt solid #838383; padding:1.02pt 5.03pt; vertical-align:top } .s6B505E72 { margin:0pt; padding-left:0pt } .s4F2ADFDB { text-align:center; font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; list-style-position:inside } .sBB6163A7 { width:2.48pt; font:7pt 'Times New Roman'; display:inline-block } .sB2BA005C { width:8.9%; border:0.75pt solid #838383; padding:1.02pt 5.03pt; vertical-align:top } .s4831DE86 { width:15.84%; border:0.75pt solid #838383; padding:1.02pt 5.03pt; vertical-align:top } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s6805E930 { width:14%; border:0.75pt solid #838383; padding:1.02pt 5.03pt; vertical-align:top } .s5D485D00 { width:19.74%; border:0.75pt solid #838383; padding:1.02pt 5.03pt; vertical-align:top } .s90B414AD { width:11.88%; border:0.75pt solid #838383; padding:1.02pt 5.03pt; vertical-align:top } .sE82502D { width:10.9%; border:0.75pt solid #838383; padding:1.02pt 5.03pt; vertical-align:top } .s1408FC9 { width:13.82%; border:0.75pt solid #838383; padding:1.02pt 5.03pt; vertical-align:top } .s5FFF0A7E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:8pt } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .sA4BC3E2E { font-family:Arial; font-size:5.33pt; vertical-align:super; color:#000000 }   FIRST SECTION DECISION Application no. 36497/20 Yadigar SADIGLI against Azerbaijan and 14 other applications (see appended table) The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting on 21 March 2024 as a Committee composed of:   Péter Paczolay , President ,   Gilberto Felici,   Raffaele Sabato , judges , and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar, Having regard to the above applications lodged on the various dates indicated in the appended table, Having regard to the declarations submitted by the respondent Government requesting the Court to strike the applications out of the list of cases, Having deliberated, decides as follows: FACTS AND PROCEDURE The list of applicants is set out in the appended table. The applicants’ complaints under Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 of the Convention concerning the alleged breach of their right to stand as candidates in parliamentary elections were communicated to the Azerbaijani Government (“the Government”). Complaints based on the same facts were also communicated under Article 13 of the Convention. THE LAW Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision. After the failure of attempts to reach a friendly settlement on the same terms, the Government informed the Court that they proposed to make unilateral declarations with a view to resolving the issues raised by these complaints. They further requested the Court to strike out the applications in accordance with Article   37 of the Convention. The Government acknowledged that the domestic authorities had violated the applicants’ rights guaranteed by the provisions of the Convention relied on by the applicants. They offered to pay the applicants the amounts detailed in the appended table and invited the Court to strike the applications out of the list of cases in accordance with Article   37 §   1   (c) of the Convention. The amounts would be payable within three months from the date of notification of the Court’s decision. In the event of failure to pay these amounts within the above-mentioned three-month period, the Government undertook to pay simple interest on them, from the expiry of that period until settlement, at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points. The payment will constitute the final resolution of the cases. The applicants were sent the terms of the Government’s unilateral declarations several weeks before the date of this decision. The applicant in application no. 38282/20 submitted that he “accepted” the terms of the declaration on the condition (“request”) that the total amount proposed be divided into two specified separate amounts to be paid separately to the applicant and to his representative according to an agreement reached between them. Given that the applicant, in his comments, advanced additional conditions which were absent in the Government’s declaration, the Court considers that the comments of the applicant in application no. 38283/20 did not amount to acceptance of the terms of the Government’s declaration. The other applicants did not accept the terms of the declarations, also mainly disagreeing with the proposed amounts of compensation or the lack of repartition of the proposed amounts into different sub-headings. The Court observes that Article   37 §   1   (c) enables it to strike a case out of its list if: “... for any other reason established by the Court, it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the application”. Thus, it may strike out applications under Article   37 §   1 (c) on the basis of a unilateral declaration by a respondent Government even if the applicants wish the examination of the cases to be continued (see, in particular, the Tahsin Acar v.   Turkey judgment (preliminary objections) [GC], no.   26307/95, §§   75 ‑ 77, ECHR 2003-VI). The Court has established clear case-law concerning very similar complaints against Azerbaijan related to violations of the right to stand as a candidate in elections (see Namat Aliyev v. Azerbaijan , no. 18705/06, 8 April 2010, and Gahramanli and Others v. Azerbaijan , no. 36503/11, 8 October 2015). Noting the admissions contained in the Government’s declarations as well as the amount of compensation proposed – which are consistent with the amounts awarded in recent similar cases concerning electoral rights (see, for example, G.K. v. Belgium , no. 58302/10, § 73, 21 May 2019; Abil v.   Azerbaijan (no. 2) , no. 8513/11, § 94, 5 December 2019; and Mugemangango v. Belgium [GC], no. 310/15, § 146, 10 July 2020) – the Court considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the applications (Article   37 §   1   (c)). In the light of the above considerations, the Court is satisfied that respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto does not require it to continue the examination of the applications (Article   37 §   1 in fine ). Finally, the Court emphasises that, should the Government fail to comply with the terms of their unilateral declarations, the applications may be restored to the list in accordance with Article   37 §   2 of the Convention (see Josipović v.   Serbia (dec.), no.   18369/07, 4   March 2008). In view of the above, it is appropriate to strike the cases out of the list. For these reasons, the Court, unanimously, Decides to join the applications; Takes note of the terms of the respondent Government’s declarations and of the arrangements for ensuring compliance with the undertakings referred to therein; Decides to strike the applications out of its list of cases in accordance with Article   37 §   1   (c) of the Convention. Done in English and notified in writing on 11 April 2024.     Viktoriya Maradudina   Péter Paczolay   Acting Deputy Registrar   President   APPENDIX List of applications raising complaints under Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention (alleged breach of the right to stand as candidates in parliamentary elections) No. Application no. Date of introduction Applicant’s name Year of birth Principal representative’s name and location Other complaints under well ‑ established case-law   Date of receipt of Government’s declaration Date of receipt of applicant’s comments Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant (in euros) [1]     36497/20 22/07/2020 Yadigar Sadig oglu SADIGLI 1968 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500     36574/20 31/07/2020 Fikrat Novruz oglu JAFARLI 1968 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500     37876/20 22/07/2020 Ogtay Yusif oglu GASIMOV 1966 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500     38255/20 15/08/2020 Valiyaddin Fakhraddin oglu GULIYEV 1994 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500     38282/20 26/08/2020 Bakhtiyar Ilyas oglu HAJIYEV 1982 Javad Yusif oglu JAVADOV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500     40440/20 26/08/2020 Elnur Rafig oglu GASIMOV 1972 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500     40446/20 26/08/2020 Elshad Nabi oglu MUSAYEV 1963 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500     40681/20 29/08/2020 Farid Nadir oglu SALAHLI 1981 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500     41431/20 27/08/2020 Ilaha Artur gizi SADIGOVA 1986 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500   41440/20 27/08/2020 Ziya Rovshan oglu GULIYEV 1982 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500   41497/20 27/08/2020 Togrul Shahin oglu ISMAYILOV 1989 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500   42544/20 02/09/2020 Togrul Seyran oglu VALIYEV 1991 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500   44937/20 15/09/2020 Vasila Jumshud gizi HAJIYEVA 1969 Khalid Zakir oglu BAGIROV Baku Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500   52077/20 02/11/2020 Vugar Garib oglu KHALILOV 1969 Asabali Gurban oglu MUSTAFAYEV Sumgayit Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 14/11/2023 18/12/2023 4,500   199/21 04/12/2020 Mutallim Gara oglu RAHIMOV 1973 Intigam Kamil oglu ALIYEV Absheron Art. 13 – absence of an effective remedy 22/11/2023 20/12/2023 4,500   [1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicant