Court Hearing Underway in Case of Robert Kocharyan vs. Nikol Pashinyan

On May 6, a court hearing is underway at the General Jurisdiction Court of Yerevan, presided over by Judge Alexey Sukoyan, in the case of second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan against Nikol Pashinyan.

It was reminded that back in April of last year, Robert Kocharyan's lawyer, Hayk Alumyann, filed a civil lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan, demanding the protection of honor and dignity against publicly expressed defamation, as well as compensation for non-material damages caused by the defamation.

The plaintiff's side pointed out that three statements made by Nikol Pashinyan while on vacation during that period were considered defamatory. During a campaign for constitutional changes on March 11, 2020, while meeting citizens in the Tatev community of Syunik province, Pashinyan stated, “I say for the record, Serzh Sargsyan, Robert Kocharyan, Gagik Khachatryan, Gagik Beglaryan, Aram Harutyunyan, you will not hide under the skirts of Europeans; you must return every penny you have stolen and contribute to the development of the army and the preservation of Artsakh's self-determination. I advise you to bring it voluntarily; if you do not bring it, you will be detained.”

Pashinyan also claimed, “They have no opportunity to conduct political activity in Armenia under the leadership of Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan; they now only have one thing to do - voluntarily return what they have stolen penny by penny to the army, the Armed Forces, Artsakh, the Republic of Armenia, the people of Artsakh, and the people of Armenia, and the people will decide whether to forgive them or not.”

The third statement made by Nikol Pashinyan, which the plaintiff's side deemed defamatory, is as follows: “That money is with Serzh Sargsyan and his family, with Robert Kocharyan and his family, with Gagik Khachatryan and his family, and with others. Let them bring it back.”