Judge Denies Second Recusal Motion in Kocharyan Case

The judge presiding over Robert Kocharyan's bail hearing, Arthur Mkrtchyan, has denied the second recusal motion.

Haik Alumyanc, a member of Kocharyan's defense team, stated that the request for recusal was rejected on the grounds that the court president had the right to assign the case to any of the on-duty judges. "This reasoning is unacceptable to us, but at this point, we cannot appeal or take any other measures; we are compelled to participate in this hearing with the same judge," Alumyanc said. He announced that there would be an adjournment, and the hearing would resume at 14:30.