Associated Press International
Tuesday 3:41 PM GMT
Ex-Armenian President Kocharian behind bars again
YEREVAN, Armenia
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – Former Armenian President Robert Kocharian has been jailed for a third time in a case that he contends is political revenge by the country's current leadership.
Kocharian was placed in custody Tuesday after an appeals court overturned a lower court ruling that had freed him last month.
Kocharian is charged with overturning constitutional order for ordering a police operation against protesters in 2008. Eight demonstrators and two police died in the clash. The country's current leader, Nikol Pashinian, was one of the leaders of that protest.
The 2008 demonstration was protesting the results of an election that declared Serzh Sargsyan as Kocharian's replacement. Sargsyan was president for 10 years, then tried to keep power by becoming Armenia's prime minister. Mass protests led by Pashinian drove Sargsyan out of office a year ago.