YEREVAN. – Robert Kocharyan was politically persecuted for a long time. Hayk Alumyan, a lawyer for the second president of Armenia, said this commenting on the Constitutional Court decision declaring Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code unconstitutional.

As reported earlier, this article envisages "overthrow of the constitutional order," and ex-president Kocharyan has been charged under this article.

When asked about the possible response by the authorities, the lawyer said that he could not predict anything. "Well, who could have imagined a blockade of the courts, or organizing a demonstration in front of the Constitutional Court, and insulting the judges? Or the criminal prosecution of a judge for an undesirable decision, and the [said judge’s] address and phone number were given to the crowd for appropriate action. The imagination of these people is boundless—in the bad sense of the word. It is hard to imagine how they will act—[in a] more restrained or more vulgar [way]?" Alumyan added.

The attorney said that he had met with Kocharyan, and discussed the aforesaid decision of the Constitutional Court and further respective actions.

According to the lawyer, he had not noticed any change in the mood of his client, either during his detention or release.