Trial Session Begins for Robert Kocharian and Others

The trial session for the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharian, and others commenced on March 30 at the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, presided over by Judge Anna Danibekyan (Shengavit residence). According to Armenpress, the previous trial session was postponed because the defendants' attorneys left the courtroom. The lawyers disagreed with the court's decision to proceed to the trial phase.

During the session, the court will address the conduct of the defense attorneys, after which it will hear the concluding portion of the prosecution's arguments.

On March 26, the Constitutional Court published its findings on the constitutionality of Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, based on applications from the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction and Robert Kocharian, ruling that Article 300.1 is in contradiction with the constitution. Robert Kocharian is charged under this article.

Also involved in the case are Seyran Ohanyan, the Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff in 2008, Yuri Khachaturov, who was the Deputy Defense Minister in 2008, and Armen Gevorgyan, who served as the Chief of Staff to the President and Secretary of the Security Council in 2008.