Mihran Poghosyan, the attorney of  Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, who is charged with breaching Armenia’s constitutional order, has filed a petition with the Court of Appeal, and appealed the first-instance court’s decision regarding his client.

The legal defender on Friday told about the above-said to reporters.

“Although bail was used as a precautionary measure for Khachaturov, bail is an alternative precautionary measure of detention; that is, the court found that detention is permissible for Yuri Khachaturov,” the attorney said. “[But] we believe that, under these conditions, detention was impermissible, and we have filed an appeal—with the Court of Appeal—on those very grounds, and we ask that the appellate [court] overturn the decision of the court of first instance, and repeal the decision on detention.”

Poghosyan noted that Khachaturov had returned to his duties at the CSTO on August 4, and that it was not clear when he will return to Armenia.

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.