Robert Kocharyan: During 2008 events, I acted solely within scope of  my authority

ArmInfo.  The current Armenian government is publicly pressuring law enforcement agencies to arrest second President Robert Kocharyan. Robert Kocharyan himself stated  this on July 10 at a hearing in the Anti-Corruption Court, where  hearings on the March 1, 2008, case continue.

He stated that while previously demands for arrests were made via  text messages, now direct threats to imprison the second President of  Armenia are being made publicly and explicitly. The former president  maintains that during the events of 2008, he acted solely within the  scope of his authority, including holding meetings with the army's  top command. Robert Kocharyan added that he deployed the armed forces  to ensure law and order. Moreover, an attempt was made at the time to  involve the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union in the protests. The former  head of state noted that the majority of the Union's leadership at  the time consisted of high-ranking military officers, and therefore  it was necessary to prevent their involvement in the country's  political life. Robert Kocharyan emphasized that if he had taken the  appropriate steps back then, he would have been accused of inaction.

"Explain to me what I should have done in that situation, when armed  men were holding discussions? I had a very stern conversation with  the Chief of the General Staff. If you want to get involved in  politics, submit your resignation letters," the former president  said, adding that, against this backdrop, everything happening now  can only be described as cynicism and the theater of the absurd.

Robert Kocharyan asked Judge Sarkis Petrosyan whether he was offended  by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's assertion that more than half of  the judges are bribe-takers and that the second president himself  should be in prison. After all, in this case, the presumption of  innocence is not only his own, but also that of the judges'. "If I  said I'd kill the prime minister, wouldn't they immediately arrest  me? So why is the system silent when threats are made against me?"  the former president asked.

In response, Judge Sarkis Petrosyan demanded that discussion of  Pashinyan's threats be stopped, characterizing them as purely  political statements.

Kocharyan's lawyer, Aram Orbelyan, responded by demanding that  political statements made in 2008 not be considered or discussed in  this regard.

As a reminder, on March 1, 2008, following the presidential elections  held on February 19, which Serzh Sargsyan won, riots broke out in  Yerevan, culminating in clashes with law enforcement. The Armenian  opposition, led by first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who also ran  in the election, held rallies in central Yerevan beginning February  20, expressing dissatisfaction with the vote results. The protests  erupted on March 1-2 into riots and clashes between protesters and  law enforcement, resulting in 10 deaths, including police officers,  and over 200 injuries of varying severity. On August 17, 2018, Nikol  Pashinyan declared that the case surrounding the events of March 1-2,  2008, in Yerevan had been fully resolved.