YEREVAN July 27
YEREVAN, July 27. /TASS/. A court in the Armenian capital city Yerevan on Friday refused to sanction the arrest of Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Yuri Khachaturov who is accused of overthrowing the country’s constitutional system in 2008.
The court session was telecast by local news portals.
Khachaturov’s lawyer, Migran Pogosyan, said the court had ruled to release Khachaturov on a five million dram (10,000 US dollars) bail. The sum will be paid within hours.
On Thursday, Armenia’s Special Investigative Service pressed charges against Khachaturov, accusing him of overthrowing the constitutional order in 2008 and asked the court to impose a pre-trial detention on him. Khachaturov denied his guilt.
The investigators did not specify Khachaturov’s role in the 2008 development. At that time, he was the Commander of the Yerevan Garrison of the Armenian Armed Forces. Khachaturov has served as CSTO Secretary General since 2017.
Earlier in the day, the court sanctioned the arrest of the country’s former President Robert Kocharyan (1998-2008) on charges of overturning the constitutional system by force in 2008. Kocharyan’s lawyer refused to comment on the court ruling saying only it will be challenged. He said a special news conference will be held on Saturday.
Armenia was rocked by a wave of protests in the wake of the presidential election held on February 19, 2008. The protesters disagreed with its official results, with Serzh Sargsyan winning the race. The protests were organized by supporters of Armenia’s first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan who had presidential ambitions at that time. The clashes claimed the lives of wight protesters and two policemen. Thirty-three police officers were taken to hospital. In all, about 230 people sought medical assistance after the clashes.
