Armenia seeks approval to launch criminal proceedings against Robert Kocharyan

Armenia’s Prosecutor General has requested authorisation from the Central Electoral Commission to open criminal proceedings against former president Robert Kocharyan, as well as two parliamentary candidates from the opposition Armenia bloc, according to local media reports.

The request also covers Asatur Kocharyan and Ruslan Barseghyan, who are included in the bloc’s electoral list at positions 154 and 62, respectively.

Robert Kocharyan served as President of Armenia from 1998 to 2008 and was Prime Minister in 1997–1998. Prior to his national leadership roles, he was a senior political figure during the early stages of the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict in the 1990s.

His presidency followed the period in which Armenian forces established control over Karabakh, resulting in large-scale displacement of Azerbaijani civilians and a prolonged territorial dispute.

After leaving office in 2008, Kocharyan became the subject of multiple legal proceedings related to the post-election violence in Yerevan that year. He returned to frontline politics ahead of the 2021 snap parliamentary elections, leading the Armenia bloc.

In the June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections, Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance secured 9.934% of the vote, remaining a significant but minority opposition force in Armenia’s parliament.

By Aghakazim Guliyev