YEREVAN. – The capital city Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction on Friday granted the Special Investigation Service’s (SIS) petition to extend for two more months the custody of Armenia’s second President, Robert Kocharyan.
The court hearing into this petition had begun Wednesday.
Kocharyan, who is a defendant in the criminal case into the tragic events that occurred in downtown Yerevan in March 2008, is remanded in custody since December 7, 2018.
On January 18, the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction granted the SIS petition with a request to extend Kocharyan’s confinement for another two months, but denied the motion by the legal defense team of Kocharyan, and to the effect that their client be released from custody on bail. The defense, however, appealed this ruling to the Criminal Court of Appeal. But on February 7, the court denied this appeal.
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. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.
