Robert Kocharyan Delivered a 2-Hour Speech in Court: Details

The second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan's lawyer, Haik Alumyan, informed reporters that Robert Kocharyan gave a speech during today's court session at the Court of Appeals. Alumyan noted that Kocharyan's speech lasted for exactly two hours.

“He comprehensively presented the situation that had developed as of February 23, particularly concerning the considerable information being received about efforts being made for the military to join the protesters, and that deputy defense ministers, among them the head of the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union, were stirring within the Yerkrapah Union to get the Reservists to join the protesters. Under these circumstances, he instructed the Minister of Defense to ensure the military's neutrality,” said Alumyan.

The second president recounted that in light of the situation, he convened the military command and instructed the Minister of Defense to ensure the military's neutrality. “He issued an instruction, stating, ‘Go and ensure that the military does not get involved in these processes.’ Additionally, it was conveyed that high-ranking officers who plan to continue their service in the army must refrain from participating in the processes initiated in the Yerkrapah Union; otherwise, they may leave the army and continue discussions in the Yerkrapah Union,” he explained.

Alumyan also mentioned that Kocharyan's speech addressed the notorious ‘0038’ order. “After becoming familiar with the ‘0038’ order, Mr. Kocharyan once again emphasized that, just like any order from the Minister of Defense, this order, too, was never directed to the presidential office during his, Levon Ter-Petrosyan's, or Serzh Sargsyan's administration, to be reviewed, approved, or kept at the presidential office,” he recounted.

The lawyer assured that during the tenures of the three presidents, there was no legal requirement or accepted practice that defense ministers' orders had to be sent to the presidential office for prior approval or to be forwarded for acknowledgment after issuance. “It’s not that the Minister of Defense issues an order and then calls to say, ‘Chief, I did something like this,’” he remarked, reiterating that there is nothing in that order for which one could not only be subject to criminal liability but also be ashamed. “There was nothing wrong with the ‘0038’ order,” he emphasized.