An initiative group named “Freedom to President” has announced an intention to start demonstrations demanding the release of Armenia’s former President Robert Kocharyan who is currently placed in detention.
On December 7, Armenia’s Court of Appeals upheld the first instance court’s ruling to arrest the former president who is accused of overturning the constitutional system.
“The acting leadership of Armenia, violating the constitution and the laws of the Republic of Armenia, exerting unprecedented pressure on judges, violating the national interest of the Armenian people and downgrading the heroic pages of the newest history, illegally detained the Chairman of the Karabakh State Protection Committee, the President of the Artsakh Republic and a national hero of Artsakh, the second President of the Republic of Armenia,” the statement released by the initiative group reads in part.
The group demands the immediate release of the former president, calling for an end of the “personal vendetta” against him. According to the released statement, a start date for the protest actions is named December 11.
To note, Kocharyan was arrested in July on charges of overthrowing Armenia’s constitutional order during the March 1-2, 2008 post-election events. He was released by the Court of Appeals on 13 August on the basis of immunity from prosecution. On 15 November, the Court of Cassation rejected Kocharyan’s appeal and only partly satisfied the prosecutors’ demands to send the case back to the Court of Appeals for re-examination.
Kocharyan and his lawyers strongly deny the charges as ‘politically motivated’.