Court upholds decision to keep Armenia ex-President in custody

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan on Tuesday, September 17 upheld the decision to keep former Armenian President Robert Kocharian in custody.

Kocharyan's lawyers had filed a motion to have the former President released on bail.

Both his supporters and opponents are currently protesting in front of the court in the Armenian capital.

The court ruled on Tuesday to keep Kocharyan in custody.

Kocharyan was released from prison in mid-May as an investigation into a criminal case over an 11-year crackdown continues in Armenia.

The Appeals Court judge decided to annul the decision of the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction to suspend the case and sent it to the Constitutional Court.

Kocharyan, who was the President of Armenia in 1998–2008, is accused of overthrowing the constitutional order and money laundering.

The first case is related to the crackdown on civilians who were protesting the results of the presidential election in March 2008. At the time, ten people were killed in clashes between protesters and the police, about 200 were injured.

Kocharyan was first arrested and released in the summer of 2018, but was incarcerated again on December 7 of that year.