YEREVAN. – The court of general jurisdiction under the chair of Judge Anna Danibekyan rejected petition for the release of Armenia's second president Robert Kocharyan.

As reported earlier, Robert Kocharyan’s legal defense motioned the court to immediately terminate the criminal proceedings against Kocharyan and to immediately release him from custody—and on the basis of the recent Constitutional Court ruling.

The examination of the case involving second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and some other former senior officials accused of overthrowing the constitutional order along the lines of the March 1, 2008 case began Thursday.

Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes between the Armenian authorities and the opposition on March 1 and 2, 2008. The opposition staged rallies protesting against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008.