Judicial System in Shock: What Consequences Will the Decision on Kocharyan Have?

According to the newspaper "Zhoghovurd", "Almost all judges in Armenia are in shock. The reason is the approval of the 2 billion dram bail application for the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan. With this decision, Robert Kocharyan has essentially been released. This ruling has come as a surprise to many representatives of the judicial system, as it was clear to everyone that Kocharyan's detention was less turbulent for the judicial system than his being at liberty.

What are the judges' concerns? The political leadership of Armenia has already organized the process of surrounding courts with the goal of punishing them and striving for an independent judicial system, and it can be said that attempts were made to convey to several judges their "correct" functions.

Now representatives of Armenia's third authority do not know what steps will follow Kocharyan's release, as it is clear to everyone that the decision is unacceptable to both the Armenian authorities and a significant segment of the Armenian society. Whether the Court of Appeals' decision has been justified or not, we will await developments.

Additionally, it should be noted that lawyers contested the decision of the first instance court of the Yerevan general jurisdiction, which rejected the defenders' request to release Kocharyan on the basis of personal guarantees from former Prime Ministers of Armenia and Artsakh. At the same time, the first instance court also rejected the request to release Robert Kocharyan in exchange for bail or simply change the preventive measure of detention.

The second President of Armenia is charged with overthrowing the constitutional order and receiving bribes amounting to particularly large sums, including a $3 million bribe. He has been in custody since June 25, 2019. Last month, according to a decision made by the administrative court, Robert Kocharyan will remain in a hospital, specifically at the "Izmirlian" Medical Center, until the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

For more details, please refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.