The Court of Appeal on Friday resumed examining the legal defender’s appeal to commute the first-instance court’s decision on remanding their client, Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, in custody.

The Armenian News-NEWS.am reporter at the scene informed that Kocharyan also is in attendance to this court hearing.

The appellate court consideration of this appeal had started on Thursday.

Prior to this court hearing, 45 MPs had submitted a petition to the Prosecutor General’s Office, and for commuting the precautionary measure of arrest which was selected for Kocharyan. The petition, however, was rejected on Wednesday.

As reported earlier, a charge has been brought against second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, former Defense Minister Mikayel Harutyunyan, and incumbent Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General and Armenia’s former Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Khachaturov, within the framework of the criminal case into the tragic events that transpired in capital city Yerevan on March 1 and 2, 2008—and under Article 300.1 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code; that is, breaching Armenia’s constitutional order, in conspiracy with others.

Since Harutyunyan is not in Armenia, a search for him was declared. And on July 27, Khachaturov was released on bail, whereas Kocharyan was remanded in custody for two months by a court decision.

On March 1 and 2, 2008, the then authorities used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the recent presidential election. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.