A while ago, Judge of the Criminal Court of Appeal of Armenia Vazgen Rshtuni, who is examining the appeal to not terminate criminal prosecution against second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan on the ground of immunity, rendered a decision to uphold the motion that head of the investigative group for the case of the events of March 1, 2008 Hrach Musheghyan had filed against Rshtuni for self-recusal.

The position that Judge Vazgen Rshtuni had previously expressed on the case of Kocharyan served as a ground for the investigator to file a motion for self-recusal to the judge.

During a conversation with a journalist in September 2018 after Judge of the Criminal Court of Appeal of Armenia Alexander Azaryan had released Kocharyan from custody on the ground of immunity, Rshtuni had declared that, as a lawyer, he agreed with Azaryan’s decision.

According to the investigator, this attests to the fact that Judge Rshtuni has a subjective approach within the scope of examination of the appeal.

Robert Kocharyan is charged with overthrow of constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia and for receiving a bribe in particularly large amounts.