YEREVAN. – The Criminal Court of Appeal of Armenia has dismissed the appeal of the Prosecutor General’s Office against the ruling of a first instance court into the case on the Special Investigation Service (SIS) chief’s violation of the presumption of innocence of second President Robert Kocharyan, his attorney Hayk Alumyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.
During the investigation, Kocharyan’s lawyers had argued that SIS chief Sasun Khachatryan had made several statements in violation of the presumption of innocence of the second President.
Alumyan had petitioned to a court of first instance to rule that Robert Kocharyan’s rights had been violated because of these statements. And in February, this court had granted the attorney’s motion, but the attorney general’s office had appealed this decision.
Second President Robert Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing the constitutional order in Armenia in connection with the tragic events that occurred in capital city Yerevan in March 2008, and taking a particularly large bribe.
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 presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes.
The second President has been arrested three times.
Kocharyan was taken into custody for the third time on June 25, when the Criminal Court of Appeal ruled to once again arrest him—who had earlier been released on the personal pledge by the former and incumbent Presidents of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), overturned the first instance court ruling to suspend the proceedings of the case against Kocharyan and several other former senior officials—in connection with the aforesaid events in Yerevan, and sent the case for a new examination.