Armenian ex-President Robert Kocharyan released on bail following court decision

The Armenian Court of Appeals has decided to release former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan on bail. 

Judge Arsen Nikogosyan has set his bail at 2,000,000,000 drams ($4,000,000), an amount  unprecedented for Armenia.

Kocharyan’s lawyers decided to appeal the decision of the court of general jurisdiction. On May 13, Judge Anna Danibekyan decided not to amend the pretrial measure and release him under the personal guarantee of the former prime ministers of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

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The appellate court took three days to come to a decision. Lawyers emphasized the professionalism and high rating of the judge who decided to release the ex-president.

The case he is involved in is known as the March 1 case. In July 2018, Robert Kocharyan was charged with overthrowing the constitutional order. The charges referred to an order he gave back in March 2008 to break up a protest against the results of the March 2008 presidential election. Military weapons were used in Yerevan, killing 10 people, two of whom were police officers.

After the Velvet Revolution in the spring of 2018, the new Armenian government reopened the investigation into this incident, and one of the first to be accused was Robert Kocharyan. 

The first time he was arrested in this case was on July 28, 2018. The ex-president’s lawyers have repeatedly tried to convince the court to change his pretrial measures. They have succeeded twice. The last time Kocharyan was arrested on June 25, 2019.

Robert Kocharyan is currently undergoing treatment in a clinic in Yerevan. Immediately after his treatment is over and he pays the bail, he will be able to return home.