Armenia files new charges against ex-president Robert Kocharian

Armenia's Prosecutor General's Office has brought new charges against former president Robert Kocharian (1998-2008) and Yuri Khachaturov, the former head of the Yerevan garrison, accusing them of abuse of office resulting in serious consequences due to negligence.

The court session was broadcast live by local news portals, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

The case pertains to the events of March 1, 2008, when violent clashes broke out between law enforcement and opposition forces in Yerevan, resulting in 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Both Kocharian and Khachaturov had previously been charged in connection with the incident, facing accusations of attempting to "overthrow the constitutional order." However, in 2021, the Constitutional Court of Armenia ruled this specific provision of the Criminal Code (CC) to be unconstitutional.

This September, the Armenian Court of Cassation decided to reopen the criminal case, but under different provisions of the country's Criminal Code.

The former president himself told reporters that he viewed the trial as "an act of violence against justice."

By Vafa Guliyeva