YEREVAN. – The Constitutional Court (CC) of Armenia has extended the deadline for the preliminary examination of a capital city Yerevan general jurisdiction court’s suspending the criminal case against second President Robert Kocharyan and some other former officials and its petition to the CC. Edgar Ghazaryan, Chief of Staff of the Constitutional Court, told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Guided by the work procedure of the CC, its president Hrayr Tovmasyan has decided to extent the aforesaid deadline until July 9.

On May 20, a Yerevan court of general jurisdiction suspended the criminal case against second President Robert Kocharyan, former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and former CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, and former Deputy Prime Minister and ex-Secretary of the National Security Council Armen Gevorgyan, and forwarded it to the Constitutional Court to determine the constitutionality of some Criminal Code articles and sections that are applied regarding this criminal case with respect to overthrowing the constitutional order in Armenia, and in connection with the tragic events that occurred in Yerevan in March 2008.

In addition, the court found that Kocharyan benefits from the constitutionally-prescribed guarantee of immunity for retired presidents of Armenia.

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.