Artak Beglaryan, who lost his father during the First Nagorno-Karabakh conflict three decades ago and later lost his eyesight after a landmine explosion, has continued his pursuit for justice decades after the violence. Once a senior official in the now-defunct self-governing Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, Beglaryan was among more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians displaced following a blockade imposed by Azerbaijan in 2022. This blockade of the Lachin corridor, the sole road connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, cut off vital medical and food supplies ahead of Azerbaijan’s eventual control of the region in late 2023.

In response, Beglaryan joined forces with a coalition of pro bono lawyers to document alleged human rights abuses connected to the blockade, submitting applications to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Since November 2024, the Armenia Pro Bono Collaborative Project—formed through a partnership between Armenian campaign groups including the International and Comparative Law Centre (ICLC) and the Artsakh Union, alongside law firms Orrick, Baker McKenzie, Simmons & Simmons, and Reed Smith—has filed 173 applications on behalf of victims.

The submissions allege violations including breaches of the right to property, private and family life, and access to an effective legal remedy under the European Convention on Human Rights. These applications remain pending before the ECHR. Organisers emphasize that the work extended beyond filing paperwork: more than 120 volunteer lawyers were trained in ECHR procedures, with the ICLC conducting interviews and gathering evidence from displaced Nagorno-Karabakh residents. To overcome language barriers, AI translation tools were used to assist lawyers unfamiliar with Armenian.

Lawyers involved in the project noted the unusually high volume of applications prepared in a short period and the impact of structured training on legal volunteers’ ability to engage with complex human rights litigation. Beglaryan described the coalition's involvement as a sign that the international community remains attentive to the plight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, saying the project reflects solidarity beyond ethnic or national lines.

Separately, pro bono legal teams have played a prominent role in other human rights cases before the ECHR. Since 2023, nearly 600 applications representing approximately 1,200 displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh have been submitted to the court. Past rulings by the ECHR in 2015 acknowledged violations by both Armenia and Azerbaijan affecting displaced civilians in the broader conflict.

Pro bono efforts have also been instrumental in a separate landmark ruling against Russia for human rights abuses in Ukraine. In July 2025, the ECHR found Russia responsible for widespread violations including summary executions, torture, sexual violence, and destruction of property in occupied Ukrainian territories. Despite challenges in enforcing judgments against Russia, which has distanced itself from the European Convention on Human Rights, legal advocates stress the importance of the ruling as a historic record and a mechanism to uphold victims’ rights.

Human rights practitioners underscore the critical role of pro bono legal work, especially given the technical complexities of filing cases with the ECHR and the limited access to specialised legal representation for most victims. Lawyers argue that these legal battles constitute a "legal battlefield" where they can contribute meaningfully to justice and deterrence of future abuses, even if they cannot participate directly in ongoing conflicts.