Former President Robert Kocharian
Members of Parliament begin petition drive
YEREVAN—Attorneys for former president Robert Kocharian, who has been in custody since Friday on charges of “breaching Armenia’s Constitutional order,” have officially appealed a court on the decision to remand the former leader.
One of the attorneys, Aram Orbelyan, said that he expects the appeal to be heard in seven to 10 days.
Meanwhile, according to Kocharian’s chief of staff, Viktor Soghomonyan, some 41 members of parliament have signed a petition urging the courts to revoke its decision of Kocharian’s remand.
He said that most of the signatories were members of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia and included the parliament speaker Ara Babloyan and deputy speakers Arpine Hovhannisyan and Eduard Sharmazanov.
Soghomnyan said that the signature drive was continuing, and once that process concludes he will publicize the names of the signatories.
He also explained that Kocharian was being kept in custody with other prisoners, but in a separate cell at his request so he can continued work on his autobiography.
