The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan presided by Judge Anna Danibekyan, left the consultation room to make a decision on the motion for the immediate release of Armenia second President Robert Kocharyan accused of overthrowing the constitutional order in the March 1 case. 

The verdict will be announced on September 17 at 1pm.

At Thursday’s court hearing, 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 Constitutional Court had deemed unconstitutional Article 35 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and which refers to cases that rule out criminal prosecution in the country.

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 at the Shengavit seat of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, and presided over by Judge Anna Danibekyan.

Second President Robert Kocharyan, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and former CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, and former Deputy Prime Minister and ex-Secretary of the National Security Council Armen Gevorgyan are defendants in this case.

Solely Robert Kocharyan is in custody along the lines of this case. The second president has been arrested three times; the last one was on June 25, by the decision of Judge Armen Danielyan of the Criminal Court of Appeal.

A signature bond to not leave Armenia has been selected as a pretrial measure for Seyran Ohanyan and Armen Gevorgyan, whereas bail—for Yuri Khachaturov.

On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes.