22:18, 8 August 2018

Armenia's GPO denies MPs' request to release former President Robert Kocharyan

Robert Kocharyan. Photo: © Sputnik Sergei Guneyev https://sputnik-abkhazia.ru/caucasus/20180727/1024578747/v-armenii-arestovali-eks-prezidenta-kocharyana.html

The General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) was not convinced by the guarantee of 61 MPs from Yerevan and Stepanakert, who asked to release Robert Kocharyan, the second president of Armenia, from arrest.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 26, Kocharyan was accused of overthrowing the constitutional order in the context of the dispersal of protests in Yerevan. On August 4, 2018, he refused to testify.

Mass riots took place in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008, after the dispersal of the rally of the opposition, which disagreed with the victory of Serzh Sargsyan at the presidential election. Then, Kocharyan introduced a 20-day state of emergency in the country, by prohibiting demonstrations and publication of reports from unofficial sources in mass media.

Earlier, 15 Nagorno-Karabakh MPs asked Arthur Davtyan, the Prosecutor General of Armenia, to release Kocharyan from custody.

"The MPs are asking to change Kocharyan's freedom restriction measure, taking into account his merits to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia in the establishment of these states," Anush Gavalyan, the press secretary of the Speaker of the Parliament, wrote in his Facebook.

The rights defender Arthur Sakunts believes that Kocharyan's custody is duly justified.

Hayk Alumyan, Kocharyan's advocate, has stated that he received threats in social networks.

"They write that you will be punished. You are a nation's traitor; and you will be condemned along with Robert," the "JAMnews" quoted Hayk as saying.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’on August 6, 2018 at 03:26 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Armine Martirosyan

Source: CK correspondent