Armenian police raids ex-president Kocharyan’s party office, several detained

Police searches were underway on Thursday (May 14) at the Spitak office of the “Armenia” alliance linked to former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan, Armenian media reported.

Thus, several individuals were detained and arrested during the operation, Caliber.Az reports.

No further details were immediately available regarding the reasons for the searches or the identities of those detained.

The country’s Anti-Corruption Committee has not yet commented on the reports.

Robert Kocharyan served as Armenia’s president from 1998 to 2008 and remains one of the country’s most influential opposition figures. He first rose to prominence during the Karabakh conflict before becoming Armenia’s prime minister and later president.

His presidency was marked by strong economic growth but also criticism from opponents and rights groups over corruption allegations and the concentration of political power.

Kocharyan’s final period in office was overshadowed by the deadly unrest that followed the disputed 2008 presidential election, when security forces dispersed opposition protests and 10 people were killed. He has consistently denied wrongdoing and has described subsequent criminal cases against him as politically motivated.

He currently leads the opposition “Armenia Alliance” (“Hayastan” bloc), which became the country’s main parliamentary opposition force after the 2021 election. The alliance is strongly critical of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and supports closer ties with Russia.

 By Aghakazim Guliyev