Ex-president sues Armenian PM, parliament speaker for defamation

Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has filed a defamation lawsuit against incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan, demanding financial compensation and public apologies for what he claims are slanderous and unfounded statements.

The former president is seeking 6 million drams (approximately $15,000) from Pashinyan over a social media post dated June 5, Caliber.Az reports per Armenia’s Datalex court information system.  

In the June 5 post, the prime minister accused Kocharyan of being a "bribe taker" and claimed that this had been proven in court—an assertion Kocharyan strongly denies, calling it "an unfounded lie and slander."

Kocharyan is also demanding 6 million drams ($15,000) from Simonyan for alleged libel and an additional 3 million drams ($7,500) for insult and moral damage. The claim centers on statements made by Simonyan during a public briefing and in other forums, which Kocharyan says tarnished his honour and dignity. He is further requesting that Simonyan issue a public apology on social media.

By Sabina Mammadli