Robert Kocharyan to remain in custody

The Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office declined the motion filed by some MPs wanting former president Robert Kocharyan to be released, press secretary of the office Arevik Khachatryan said.

Kocharyan will remain in detention pending trial.

Earlier, the Prosecutor General’s Office has received the petition signed by 45 MPs on changing the precautionary measure of former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan. The majority of MPs are from the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).

Kocharyan has been charged on July 26 over the 2008 March 1 case for breaching the constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia. He has been remanded into custody.

The case dates back to late February and early March 2008 following the disputed presidential election, when then prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was declared the winner, angering the opposition, led by the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan and setting off 10 days of nonstop protests that led to a crackdown on March 1, when 10 people were killed.