The Executive Body of the Republican Party of Armenia has issued a statement on the decision that the Criminal Court of Appeal announced yesterday in regard to second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan.

The statement particularly reads as follows:

“- The Criminal Court of Appeal has crudely violated the principle of competitive procedure and rendered an exclusively political decision.

- The specific procedure has nothing to do with democracy, rule of law and independence of courts.

- The third remand of Robert Kocharyan is another manifestation of the ongoing political revenge by which an attempt is being made to distract Armenians’ attention from the numerous problems that the country faces day after day.

- Such developments are a detriment to the domestic political situation and international reputation of the Republic of Armenia.

At the same time, we emphasize that the efforts of the government’s propaganda machine to explain the ongoing decline of the reputation of Nikol Pashinyan with the fact that Robert Kocharyan or other members of the political opposition are not under custody, are ridiculous, to say the least.

- The continuous process of splitting the society is encouraged, and this is becoming more dangerous amid the strictly troubling challenges in the region.

- Such decisions prove that the statements on the heralded judicial and legal reforms and on raising the level of independence of courts are phony.

- The Republican Party of Armenia will also speak out about this issue and the developments in regard to this issue at the relevant international platforms and in the relevant international formats.”