YEREVAN.- The examination of the complaint to overturn the decision of eliminating the pre-trial detention as preventive measure for 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan on the basis of immunity has been postponed for preparing a petition for the judge to recuse himself, Kocharyan’s lawyer Hayk Alumyan told the reporters.
“The judge gave us time until 17:45 for preparing the petition for him to recuse himself. We worked on the petition but could not meet the deadline. For that reason the judge has given us extra time until 12:00, November 28”, Alumyan said.
Second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan was charged within the framework of the criminal case into the tragic events that transpired in capital city Yerevan on March 1 and 2, 2008—and under Article 300.1 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code; that is, breaching Armenia’s constitutional order, in conspiracy with others.
On July 27, Kocharyan was remanded in custody for two months by a court decision. But on August 13, the Court of Appeal granted Robert Kocharyan’s legal defenders’ appeal to commute the first-instance court’s decision on remanding their client in custody, and Kocharyan was released from courtroom on the grounds that he had presidential immunity.
Both the Prosecutor General’s Office and the defense, however, appealed this decision. In addition, the defense argued that there were other grounds too for the release of their client.
On March 1 and 2, 2008, the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the then recent presidential election. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.