Presidential Elections 2008 In Armenia March 1

[Yervant1]

ARKA, Armenia

Aug 10 2018

Armenia’s Court of Appeals to announce its ruling on former president Kocharyan on August 13

http://arka.am.opt-images.1c-bitrix-cdn.ru/upload/resize_cache/iblock/4a3/344_258_2/4a3165bf10a5d6a2f93b857ac93496d5.jpg?153390721841344

YEREVAN, August 10. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Court of Appeals will announce its decision on a petition filed by ex-president Robert Kocharyan’s lawyers against his arrest, on August 13, one of Kocharyan's lawyer, Aram Orbelyan, told journalists today.

He added that the decision will be made public on Monday at 4:00 pm. According to Orbelyan, he and other lawyers believe that the Court of Appeals will deliver a positive ruling, as Kocharyan shed some light on some facts.

Earlier the Office of the Prosecutor-General declined an appeal signed by 46 members of the parliament, to release Robert Kocharyan from custody pending investigation into the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. The lawmakers, the bulk from the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia, guaranteed in writing that Kocharyan will not flee prosecution if set free.

A Yerevan district court late on July 27 ruled that the Special Investigative Service (SIS) could hold Kocharyan for two months in pre-trial detention pending investigation. The case dates back to late February and early March 2008 following the disputed presidential election, when then prime minister Serzh Sargsyan was declared the winner, angering the opposition, led by the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan and setting off 10 days of nonstop protests that led to a crackdown on March 1, in which 10 people were killed and more than 200 injured.

Kocharyan is now charged with toppling constitutional order in collusion with other persons, and the agency has applied to court for a detention warrant.

The same charge was brought against Yuri Khachaturov, secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, who had been the chief of the Yerevan garrison at the time of the bloody events of 2008. However, Khachaturov was released on bail, for AMD 5 million.

Also former defense minister Mikael Harutyunyan is wanted by the law-enforcement authorities as a defendant in the case. He is accused of illegally using the Armenian armed forces against opposition supporters who demonstrated in Yerevan in the wake of the disputed presidential election held in February 2008. --0----

http://arka.am/en/news/politics/armenia_s_court_of_appeals_to_announce_its_ruling_on_former_president_kocharyan_on_august_13/

[Yervant1]

The Koz Telegram

Aug 16 2018

Ex-President of Armenia will be summoned for questioning because of the suppression of protests in 2008

magictr | August 16, 2018

The former President of Armenia Serzh Sarsyan questioned in the case about the suppression of protests in 2008, when ten people were killed, reported the Special investigation service of the country.

Office chair Sasun Khachatryan on August 16 said that will be questioned all those involved in the case”, writes Radio Liberty.

“Serge Sarsyan also questioned”, said Khachatryan, adding that the procedure “will be determined by the investigator on the basis of a criminal investigation and feasibility of implementation of specific investigative activities.”

Khachatryan also expressed hope for the re-arrest of the former President of Armenia Robert Kocharian in connection with the case.

In late July, the court arrested Kocharian for two months on charges of involvement in the suppression of protests in 2008. Next month the policy was released. The court explained this decision by the fact that, under the Constitution, the President of the country during the tenure and after this could not be criminally prosecuted and held liable for actions arising from its status.

The release of ex-President provoked a wave of protests in Yerevan.

The Chairman of the investigative service called the court’s decision, the decision to release Kocharyan’s illegal. He stressed that the former President would be arrested immediately if they try to run away from Armenia.

Kocharyan calls the charges against him as politically motivated.

The case against Kocharian was broken due to the forceful dispersal of protests after the presidential elections in 2008. Then the protesters are supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who was defeated in the elections, demanding revision of results of voting. In clashes with police 10 people were killed. Kocharian declared a state of emergency, protests in the country stopped.

One of the organizers of rallies in 2008 and was the current Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinian. In 2010 on charges of organizing riots and was sentenced to seven years in prison. In may 2011 Pashinyan was released on Amnesty.

https://ktelegram.com/ex-president-of-armenia-will-be-summoned-for-questioning-because-of-the-suppression-of-protests-in-2008/18086/

[Yervant1]

 

A1+

 

Nikol Pashinyan: You will sit with all the murderers (video)

• 23:45 | August 17,2018 | Politics

• Հայ

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan touched upon Robert Kocharyan’s statement that he was a victim of political persecution.

“If you are a victim, what do you do in freedom? Or do you think we do not know the ways of forcing judges to impose this or that illegal decision? But we have abandoned that practice and I want to say that we are proud of our government that we have abandoned that practice.”

Pashinyan stressed that nobody will be allowed to avoid responsibility.

“I exclude that anyone will avoid the responsibility for killing 10 civilians and carrying out state revolution in the Republic of Armenia on March 1. There cannot be such a thing. There cannot be such a thing,” announced Nikol Pashinyan and added, “You will sit with all the murderers. And I am authorized to declare it on behalf of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia.”

https://en.a1plus.am/1277049.html

[Yervant1]

ECHR Orders Compensation to be Paid to March 1, 2008 Protester On September 20th, 2018, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) released a ground-breaking verdict in response to calls for evaluation of the treatment and persecution of citizens who were arrested in relation to the March 1st 2008 protests in Yerevan, Armenia. Mr. Mushegh Saghatelyan, one such arrested activist, had complained of “ill-treatment by the police” and that his arrest had been unlawful. He furthermore had asserted that the entire case brought against him by the Armenian government was fabricated. In the Chamber judgement, the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been violations of several articles, including the right to liberty and security, and the right to a fair trial. In response to this judgement, the Court held that Armenia was to pay Mr. Saghatelyan 15,600 euros (EUR) “in respect of non-pecuniary damage” and EUR 5,000 “in respect of costs and expenses.” The Zoryan Institute, committed to examining the forces and factors which shape Armenian life and contemporary history, has closely followed the subsequent developments of the March 2008 protests, violence and killings in Yerevan, Armenia. The September 20th ECHR ruling offers the first tangible evidence of the corruption and wrongful prosecution that followed the March 2008 protests, as well as the ongoing failures of the Armenian judicial system. The ruling confirms that in the wake of the 2008 clashes the government willingly distorted the truth of the events. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan opted to use the army against opposition protesters because, according to Armenian officials, the “government thought the protesters were armed”. Various news outlets reported that on March 2nd, 2008, military vehicles entered the capital. Soldiers used gunfire and tear gas to violently attack the thousands of protesters assembled in the square. In the days that followed the clashes, news outlets reported that the Armenian government denied excessive force. A ban on public gatherings, media censorship and internet censorship were put in place as reactive measures. Mr. Saghatelyan’s verdict delivers to Armenia, and the world, evidence of the police brutality that was used during this event, confirms that citizens were wrongfully jailed, and represents the first time that victims’ rights in this incident have been established. The ECHR has brought due diligence and justice to a victim involved in the clashes, paving the way for other cases to be opened. The failures of Armenia’s judicial system have been exposed, demonstrating the urgent need for judicial reform. Reform is integral to both the future of Armenia, and to making amends for the corruption and nepotism of the past. One means of enacting the judicial reform is by way of institutional reform, a method associated with transitional justice. The International Center for Transitional justice states that the “…reform of state institutions involved in human rights abuses can be an important transitional justice measure that promotes accountability and helps prevent the recurrence of violations.”

 

The Zoryan Institute recognizes that the September 20th ECHR ruling could have a profound impact on the future of Armenia. This ruling creates an opportunity for the government to undertake judicial reform, and ultimately establish accountability and trust amongst civil society. For the full and detailed report released by the ECHR please click on the button below: ECHR Report

[Yervant1]

ArmenPress.am

Pashinyan urges to “get psychologically ready” for complete revelation of March 1 investigation

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13:18, 24 October, 2018

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has urged from the parliament floor to “get psychologically ready” for the complete revelation of the March 1 case.

During parliamentary debates on the first round of electing a Prime Minister, Acting PM Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that “no one should doubt that the March 1 case will be revealed until the end, until the last corners”.

The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest clashes that left 10 people dead.

“I am calling on us all to be psychologically ready for the entire volume of discoveries, because it isn’t going to be easy to know everything that I am sure we will know soon,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/952027.html?fbclid=IwAR1Y1PdLtUFMH3bVjxR8WUQQP2YGsLeNgsabUwgQiB5GmDcW1GpIPJD5i2A

[MosJan]

https://hetq.am/en/article/97707?fbclid=IwAR0bWyO0k6FgCmYsZfGoF1dX4Z5LynoRteZ4y3qu5h3KVgXbZimu5pnTFuA

 

March 1, 2008 Investigation: Former Chief Investigator Charged with Falsifying Evidence
As part of its investigation into the mass public protests of March 1-2, 2008 in Yerevan during which ten people were killed, Armenia’s Special Investigative Service (SIS) reported today that former chief investigator of March 1 Vahagn Harutyunyan had been charged with falsification of evidence.

During the preliminary investigation on the mentioned criminal case, V.H. found out that on March 1-2, 2008, during the clashes between the demonstrators and the police, various units of the Armenian Armed Forces took active part and applied firearms. Instead of disclosing the circumstances of the murders of individuals, V.H. abused his official powers, cooperating with some investigators and other police officers, including expert A.H., to falsify the evidence.

Particularly, in the course of the forensic expert examination, in order to conceal the true circumstances of the participation of the RA Armed Forces, V.H. organized the replacement of actually confiscated 1,000 bullets with those shot by his order by a unit of Police Forces.

Judicial expert A.H. fixed it in an obviously false conclusion of 29 December 2008, which, as a false proof, was attached to the materials of the criminal case on 30 December 2008 and put into circulation.

Then V. H. personally, as well as other investigators under his supervision, accepting the substitute bullets as falsified evidence and the false conclusion of the expert, continued the preliminary investigation of the criminal case until November 17, 2011, trying to conceal the participation of various units of the Armenian Armed Forces and use of firearms by the officers of those subdivisions.

V.H. has been involved as a defendant in the criminal case for falsifying evidences. A. H. has been involved in the criminal case for assistance in falsifying evidences.

The two are currently wanted. The investigator of the Armenian Special Investigative Service has filed a motion to the court to choose their arrest as a preventive measure.

The investigation is ongoing.

[Yervant1]

Wow, I hope all the facts comes out and the guilty people punished for killing innocent victims who were exercising their civic duties, such as the right to protest.

Edited November 1, 2018 by Yervant1

[MosJan]

HOPE thats all we have this days Yervant jan

[Yervant1]

OC Media

Dec 7 2018

Former Armenian president Kocharyan re-arrested but vows to fight on from jail

7 December 2018 by OC Media

Robert Kocharyan (Yerkir)

Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan has been re-arrested and remanded in custody over the violent dispersal of anti-gov­ern­ment protests in 2008 that left 10 people dead.

On 7 December, after five days of delib­er­a­tions, the Court of Appeal rejected a notion by Kocharyan’s lawyers to release him on bail, upholding the decision of the first instance court.

Ruben Sahakyan, a member of the Kocharyan’s defence team, called the verdict ‘political’ and insisted it was related to upcoming par­lia­men­tary elections.

According to his lawyer, Kocharyan did not wait to be visited by the author­i­ties and handed himself in to the National Security Service.

Minutes before, Kocharyan’s press secretary read out his statement in which the former president accused the gov­ern­ment of waging a ‘vendetta’ and a ‘cheap and unlawful per­se­cu­tion’ against him and his family. He called the ‘current leader’ a populist unable to rule the country.

‘It is more than obvious that the main organiser of the riots on 1 March 2008 that caused the death of people is trying to wash off the stains of blood and trying to make me respon­si­ble’, the statement read.

Kocharyan vowed to continue his ‘political fight’ from prison.

Kocharyan was charged in July by the Special Inves­tiga­tive Service for breaching the con­sti­tu­tion in giving a clan­des­tine order to ‘involve the army into a political process’ in dis­pers­ing 2008 anti-gov­ern­ment protests. The crackdown left eight pro­test­ers and two police officers dead.

He was remanded to two months in pre-trial custody but freed on bail less than three weeks later after an appeal court ruled his detention was unlawful.

The appeal court ruled that the General Prosecutor’s Office had failed to convince the court that his pre-trial detention did not con­tra­dict the immunity clause in the Armenian Con­sti­tu­tion, but did ban him from leaving the country.

Article 140 of the Con­sti­tu­tion grants the president immunity from pros­e­cu­tion during and after his term for actions ‘deriving from his or her status’.

Several days after his release, Kocharyan announced his comeback to politics, calling the gov­ern­ment under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ‘incom­pe­tent’, with no plans for the country’s economy, and no expe­ri­ence dealing with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict or main­tain­ing relations with Russia.

On 15 November, the pros­e­cu­tion suc­cess­ful­ly chal­lenged his release on bail, after which the cassation court sent the case back to the court of appeals to be re-examined.

2008 crackdown on post-election turmoil

The case concerns the dispersal of mass protests in Yerevan on 1 March 2008 after Serzh Sargsyan was declared the winner of pres­i­den­tial elections.

The oppo­si­tion rallied for around 10 days claiming Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first Armenian President, from 1991–1998, was the rightful winner and demanding a recount.

The initial protests were report­ed­ly autho­rised by the author­i­ties and were then followed by ‘spon­ta­neous’ protests.

1 March 2008 protests in Yerevan (Wiki­com­mons)

The author­i­ties did not intervene until 1 March, according to alle­ga­tions against Armenia at the European Court of Human Rights.

Oppo­si­tion parties claimed the crackdown involved not only civilian law enforce­ment agencies, but also the army, as outgoing President Kocharyan declared a state of emergency. A number of prominent oppo­si­tion politi­cians were arrested in the aftermath.

In March 2018, the then oppo­si­tion Yelk block, of which Prime Minister Pashinyan is a part, condemned the use of lethal force against pro­test­ers.

On 6 March, Pashinyan requested that the Prosecutor's Office question Kocharyan on his claims, which were reit­er­at­ed by other members of the Repub­li­can Party, that the March pro­test­ers were armed and shot at police.

Of the families of the 10 deceased, nine appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2011, according to the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre, who is rep­re­sent­ing them in court. The ECHR has yet to make a judgement on the case.

http://oc-media.org/former-armenian-president-kocharyan-re-arrested-but-vows-to-fight-on-from-jail/

 

[Yervant1]

Aysor, Armenia

Jan 10 2019

Ex Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan charged

Charges have been filed against former defense minister Seyran Ohanyan in the sidelines of March 1 criminal case, Aysor.am sources report.

Special Investigation Service representative refused to provide any information about it.

The charges are not clear yet.

https://www.aysor.am/en/news/2019/01/10/seyran-ohanyan/1511047

[MosJan]

wow

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Constitutional Court rejects Kocharyan’s appeal

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12:19, 30 January, 2019

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. The Constitutional Court of Armenia has rejected to launch proceedings over arrested former President Robert Kocharyan’s appeal.

Kocharyan had appealed to the Constitutional Court on January 8, arguing the constitutionality behind the Cassation Court’s earlier launch of proceedings based on the Prosecutor General’s complaint. The Prosecutor General had filed a complaint over Kocharyan’s release. Kocharyan was later re-arrested.

“According to the decision of the Constitutional Court, the fact that the constitutional justice field is outside of the Court of Cassation’s circle of functions in accordance to paragraph 1, article 171 of the Constitution, doesn’t mean that the Court of Cassation isn’t authorized to interpret and apply the Constitution,” the Constitutional Court said in part a lengthy press release.

2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who ruled the country from 1998 to 2008, spent two weeks in jail in summer of 2018, but was eventually freed. But on December 7, a higher court overruled the release and ordered him to be remanded into custody pending trial again.

At the time the court announced the verdict, Kocharyan turned himself in to authorities.

Kocharyan is charged for ‘overthrowing constitutional order’ during the 2008 post-election unrest, when clashes between security forces and protesters left 10 people dead, including two police officers, during his final days as president.

He vehemently denies wrongdoing.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/962436.html?fbclid=IwAR1oxeIT6R1GbGIgAbshbetVLVdpx_7ehWOPja5x8kj4Y-ITJjuEJBhHMH0

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Authorities expected to disclose assets of ex-President Robert Kocharyan

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16:37, 1 February, 2019

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. The Investigative Department of the National Security Service (NSS) will soon make a statement disclosing the assets of former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and his family, NSS Director Artur Vanetsyan told reporters.

“A criminal investigation is underway, and soon the Investigative Department of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia will deliver a corresponding statement,” Vanetsyan said.

Earlier in 2018, Vanetsyan had claimed that they possess information on how Kocharyan’s family became the owner of Congress hotel, an upscale hotel in downtown Yerevan.

Vanetsyan said that a criminal investigation on money laundering is underway.

2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who ruled the country from 1998 to 2008, spent two weeks in jail in summer of 2018, but was eventually freed. But on December 7, a higher court overruled the release and ordered him to be remanded into custody pending trial again.

At the time the court announced the verdict, Kocharyan turned himself in to authorities.

Kocharyan is charged for ‘overthrowing constitutional order’ during the 2008 post-election unrest, when clashes between security forces and protesters left 10 people dead, including two police officers, during his final days as president.

He vehemently denies wrongdoing.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/962806.html?fbclid=IwAR1lxsYhCjAoP2fVLT7yCNoRLJEVYIll7QmzErmr2FVyarQUGcAC1fLk7P0

[Yervant1]

ARKA, Armenia

Feb 4 2019

Ex-president Sargsyan interrogated in March 1 case

http://arka.am/upload/resize_cache/iblock/f1d/669_445_2/f1dec4d7755c86d6bff2ec03bef6e66b.jpg

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. Ex-president of Armenian Serzh Sargsyan was interrogated for several hours in the Special Investigation Service in the March 1 case, armtimes.com said.

"We managed to find out that Sargsyan was interrogated for several hours as a witness in the March 1 case. According to our source, the interrogation will continue," the newspaper writes, noting that the Special Investigation Service declined comments.

The Armenian opposition, led by the first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who ran for the presidential elections on February 19, 2008, held rallies in the center of Yerevan from February 20, expressing dissatisfaction with the official results that gave the victory to Serzh Sargsyan. The protests on March 1-2, 2008, resulted in riots and clashes between protesters and law enforcement forces, which killed ten people and wounded over 200 people.

The Constitutional Court recognized the 2008 elections as legitimate. Serzh Sargsyan was said to have received 52.86% of the votes, and Levon Ter-Petrosyan - 21.5%.

The second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, who preceded Sargsyan, is accused of overthrowing the constitutional order. He is currently under arrest. Former chief of staff of armed forces Yuri Khachaturov, who was detained but released on bail of 5 million drams, and former defense ministers Mikael Harutyunyan, who is now in Russia and Seyran Ohanyan are also involved in the March 1 case as defendants. -0-

http://arka.am/en/news/politics/ex_president_sargsyan_interrogated_in_march_1_case/

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Kocharyan will remain jailed, court rejects bail

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12:14, 7 February, 2019

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. Former President Robert Kocharyan will remain in jail as the Court of Appeals has rejected his motion requesting bail.

“The verdict has been published. Robert Kocharyan’s lawyers’ motions have been completely rejected,” Vahagn Muradyan from the General Prosecution said.

2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who ruled the country from 1998 to 2008, spent two weeks in jail in summer of 2018, but was eventually freed. But on December 7, a higher court overruled the release and ordered him to be remanded into custody pending trial again.

At the time the court announced the verdict, Kocharyan turned himself in to authorities.

Kocharyan is charged for ‘overthrowing constitutional order’ during the 2008 post-election unrest, when clashes between security forces and protesters left 10 people dead, including two police officers, during his final days as president.

He vehemently denies wrongdoing.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/963411.html?fbclid=IwAR3QFi87fm6RGqg_N2e4ZiIEwXNYSbnoZePCuElLnJ6jyDNxW6cv7KbJjQQ

[Yervant1]

Aysor, Armenia

Feb 12 2019

New charge filed against Armenia’s second president

Special Investigation Service has filed new charges against Armenia’s second president Robert Kocharyan.

Besides the charges under the Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code, overthrow of constitutional order, Kocharyan has been charged under the 2d provision of 4th part of Article 311, receiving big amount of bribe.

Second president’s defense team reports that the new accusation relates to the statement of citizen Silva Hakobyan about giving bribe to Kocharyan.

https://www.aysor.am/en/news/2019/02/12/kocharyan-new-charges/1525120

[Yervant1]

BNE IntelliNews

Feb 14 2019

Bribe-taking charge ‘filed against ex-Armenian president Kocharyan’http://d39raawggeifpx.cloudfront.net/styles/16_9_desktop/s3/articleimages/Vladimir_Putin_with_Robert_Kocharian-2.jpg

Robert Kocharyan seen with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in 2000.

By bne IntelliNews February 14, 2019

A bribe-taking charge has reportedly been filed against former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan.

Kocharyan—already charged with violating Armenia’s constitutional system for actions against demonstrators more than a decade ago—is facing a charge arising from allegations that businesswoman Silva Hambartsumian was forced to pay a bribe to an Armenian minister, Kocharyan's lawyer Aram Orbelian was reported as saying by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on February 12. Hambartsumian told the news outlet last October that she had to pay a $14mn bribe in 2008 to then-environment minister Aram Harutyunian. In January, a court in Yerevan ordered Harutyunian's arrest, but his current whereabouts is unknown.

The prosecution of Kocharyan may have the potential to hurt relations between the post-revolution government in Armenia headed by Nikol Pashinian and the small country’s strategic ally Russia. Russia is concerned at how the Pashinian administration is going after figures of the old establishment. Last August the Kremlin notably reported a phone conversation between Putin and Kocharyan during which the Russian leader congratulated the former Armenian president on his birthday. This move, rare in state diplomacy, led to some analysts speculating that Moscow was underlining its support for Kocharyan. He had lately said that he would return to politics.

“Marti mek” charges
Kocharyan was initially arrested in July last year on charges stemming from his government's deadly use of force in the “Marti mek” (March 1) events against opposition protesters during the final weeks of his 1998-2008 rule.

Pashinian was elected on an anti-corruption and anti-cronyism platform after successfully leading Armenia’s velvet revolution in spring 2018.

Kocharyan, 64, has been accused of illegally ordering Armenian Army soldiers to use force against opposition supporters who were protesting against alleged fraud in the disputed February 2008 presidential election. Eight protesters and two policemen were killed when security forces engaged in clashes with protesters on March 1-2, 2008.

Kocharyan has denied the accusations. Armenia’s current government is pursuing a political “vendetta” against him, he has said.

He was freed last August 13 by an appeals court that ruled the constitution gave him immunity from prosecution in connection with the 2008 violence. Subsequently, despite having announced he was returning to politics, he did not run in the snap December 9 parliamentary elections that brought a crushing victory for the Pashinian-led My Step Alliance.

A court reinstated Kocharyan's pretrial detention two days before the elections. He has been in custody since then.

Pashinian has defended the criminal charges against Kocharyan. He declared last August 17 that “all murderers will go to prison”.

http://www.intellinews.com/bribe-taking-charge-filed-against-ex-armenian-president-kocharyan-156397/

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

Kocharyan’s son claims to be under investigation, charged

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16:32, 18 February, 2019

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Ex-President Robert Kocharyan’s son Sedrak Kocharyan says he has been charged by the National Security Service with money laundering and tax evasion.

Sedrak Kocharyan, 38, said in an interview to 2rd.am, a website affiliated with his father, that he has been confined to the country limits with a signature bond. In the interview he denied the accusations, calling them "fake".

Sedrak is the eldest of Robert Kocharyan’s three children, the other two being Levon and Gayane.

Sedrak’s younger brother Levon is married to pop diva Sirusho.

Authorities weren’t immediately available for comment.

2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, who ruled the country from 1998 to 2008, spent two weeks in jail in summer of 2018, but was eventually freed. But on December 7, a higher court overruled the release and ordered him to be remanded into custody pending trial again.

At the time the court announced the verdict, Kocharyan turned himself in to authorities.

Kocharyan is charged for ‘overthrowing constitutional order’ during the 2008 post-election unrest, when clashes between security forces and protesters left 10 people dead, including two police officers, during his final days as president.

He vehemently denies wrongdoing.

On February 12, authorities announced they’ve filed new charges against Kocharyan concerning bribery.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/964680.html?fbclid=IwAR2LVH9rxjyYHn5NRub__qMNftPdMas5y0jfmZM0nLXlHo85fBCD4FSdv8A

[Yervant1]

JAM News

Feb 19 2019

Son of Armenian ex-president charged with money laundering

JAMnews, Yerevan

February 19, 2019

Sedrak Kocharyan says the accusation is the ‘revenge’ of the country's prime minister on his father and former president Robert Kocharyan, who has been under arrest since December

Photolure news agency. Robert Kocharyan’s family, 2010

The National Security Service of Armenia has indicted the eldest son of the second president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan – Sedrak Kocharyan.

Sedrak has been accused of tax evasion and money laundering.

He has been banned from leaving the country as the investigation continues.

What exactly does Sedrak Kocharyan stand accused of?

The Armenian National Security Service report says that during its investigation, it uncovered evidence that Sedrak Kocharyan had avoided paying taxes for one of his businesses. Later, he supposedly laundered the saved funds through a series of shady banking operations.

In particular, in one of his companies, Sedrak Kocharyan declared a payment made by a third party to the amount of $5.3 million as a debt repayment.

With the help of two payments, he transferred this money to his accounts as compensation for debt obligations.

By falsifying his income, he avoided paying around 915 million AMD ($1.9 million) in taxes.

Sedrak Kocharyan is also accused of having legalized large incomes by organizing intra-family companies. He used some of them to purchase a Best Western Congress Hotel.

The Kocharyans say the investigation is the government’s ‘revenge’

Sedrak Kochayan, responding to questions posed by 2rd.am, called all the accusations fabricated.

He says the accusations are groundless attacks on his family by the authorities, in particular, Prime Minister Pashinyan.

“Nikol Pashinyan long ago focused on our family, since the days of his journalistic activities … When he was an MP, he did not miss a chance and consistently tried to slander and denigrate the good name of our family and honor, even when my father had long been out of office … The basic technology of spreading false and false rumors about our family, directed by Nikol and his companions, is extremely primitive.”

Ex-President Robert Kocharyan himself also considers his arrest politically motivated.

Since December 2018, Kocharyan has been imprisoned in the March 1 case, which concerns the events of 2008:

After the presidential elections of February 2008, protests organized by supporters of the first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, took place. They said that Ter-Petrosyan had won, and not Serzh Sargsyan, as the Central Election Commission announced.

During the dispersal of the demonstration, military weapons were used and 10 people were killed.

The president of the country at that time was still Robert Kocharyan.

The investigation of the March 1 case did not move forward since the day the event in question took place until the Armenian Velvet Revolution of Spring 2018, when revolutionary leader Nikol Pashinyan and his government took up the case.

As a result, in July 2018, Robert Kocharyan was charged with overthrowing the constitutional order in the case of the events of 1 March 2008.

The current Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan at the presidential elections of 2008 represented the interests of presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

He actively participated in the protests that began after the announcement of the election results. After the events of March 1, when ten people were killed during the dispersal of the demonstration, the opposition leader went into hiding for four months because of accusations of organizing mass riots.

On July 1, 2010, Pashinyan voluntarily went to the prosecutor’s office, was arrested and sentenced to seven years.

After one year and 11 months, he came under an amnesty timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the independence of Armenia. Human rights activists believe that the authorities were forced to take this step under the pressure of international structures.

In February of this year, the Special Investigation Service of Armenia brought new charges against the second president, Robert Kocharyan.

Now he is accused of taking large bribes.

Robert Kocharyan does not admit to any of the charges against him.

https://jam-news.net/son-of-armenian-ex-president-charged-with-money-laundering/

[Yervant1]

Eurasianet.org

June 7 2019

First murder charge in Armenia’s March 1 investigations Previous prosecutions in the case had been against high-level officials, opening the government up to charges it was pursuing a political vendetta rather than justice.

Ani Mejlumyan Jun 7, 2019

Screenshot from RFE/RL of a court appearance by Gegham Petrosyan, a former deputy police commander charged with killing a protester in March 2008 in Armenia.

A former Yerevan police officer has been charged with murder, the first such prosecution for the notorious “March 1 events” in Armenia.

Gegham Petrosyan, a deputy police commander, was arrested on June 4 and then formally charged two days later, accused of killing Zakar Hovhannisyan during the violent suppression of protests and riots in March 2008, following election results widely believed to have been fraudulent.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was an opposition activist at the time and played a key role in organizing the protests after his political mentor, Levon Ter Petrosyan, lost to Serzh Sargsyan in what Petrosyan supporters saw as an attempt to falsify the results and steal the election. Ten people, including two police officers, were killed in the resulting violence. Pashinyan himself spent two years in prison for organizing the protests.

Since coming to power last year, Pashinyan has made prosecuting the March 1 events a signature priority. But until this arrest, all of the charges in connection with that case have been for high-ranking officials not directly involved in the killings on vague charges of “violating the constitutional order.” Those include Robert Kocharyan, who was president at the time, and Yuri Khachaturov, the head of the Yerevan military garrison. Kocharyan was arrested last year but was released on bail last month and still awaits trial.

The focus on high-level officials opened up Pashinyan to criticism that the prosecutions were not aimed at justice for March 1 but instead were a political vendetta against the former authorities.

An analysis on the website 1in.am called Petrosyan’s arrest a “turning point” in the March 1 case, suggesting that the charges for killing Hovhannisyan are just the first of more specific charges to come. “A manipulative propaganda argument was created suggesting that the March 1 case had become a political hammer in Nikol Pashinyan's hand, by means of which he oppresses his opponents. The argument was that the trial of Kocharyan and others did not deal with the case of 10 murders… Now, Kocharyan’s lawyers are deprived of their main propaganda with which they tried to politicize the case.”

Petrosyan's attorney Vagharshak Gevorgyan told reporters on June 6 that his client acted in self-defense. According to Gevorgyan, a witness in the case said that Hovhannisyan had attacked Petrosyan. "He allegedly tried to hit him in the head, and Petrosyan allegedly shot him.”

A reporter from RFE/RL spotted Petrosyan in court on June 6 and asked him if he was guilty. He declined to answer and covered his face with a crossword magazine. If guilty he faces 8-15 years in prison.

Ani Mejlumyan is a reporter based in Yerevan.

https://eurasianet.org/first-murder-charge-in-armenias-march-1-investigations

[Yervant1]

Associated Press International

June 25, 2019 Tuesday 3:41 PM GMT

Ex-Armenian President Kocharian behind bars again

YEREVAN, Armenia

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) - Former Armenian President Robert Kocharian has been jailed for a third time in a case that he contends is political revenge by the country's current leadership.

Kocharian was placed in custody Tuesday after an appeals court overturned a lower court ruling that had freed him last month.

Kocharian is charged with overturning constitutional order for ordering a police operation against protesters in 2008. Eight demonstrators and two police died in the clash. The country's current leader, Nikol Pashinian, was one of the leaders of that protest.

The 2008 demonstration was protesting the results of an election that declared Serzh Sargsyan as Kocharian's replacement. Sargsyan was president for 10 years, then tried to keep power by becoming Armenia's prime minister. Mass protests led by Pashinian drove Sargsyan out of office a year ago.

[MosJan]

Armenia's government OKs raising minimum wage by 24%

Armenia's government OKs raising minimum wage by 24%

June 27, 2019 - 13:43 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The government on Thursday, June 27 approved a draft law on raising minimum wage in Armenia by 23.6% - from AMD 55,000 (approx. $115) to AMD 68,000 ($143).

 

Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security Gemafin Gasparyan said the move will cover 45,000 people working in the private sector and 35,000 others employed in the public sector.

 

According to Finance Minister Atom Janjughazyan, the draft bill has nothing to do with the base salary which is used to calculate the salaries of public officials

 

The bill has yet to be discussed and approved by the National Assembly.

 

Earlier, lawmakers from the ruling My Step alliance had proposed raising the minimum wage in the country to AMD 63,000 ($132).

[MosJan]

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/270408/

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.am

PM, Cabinet members commemorate 2008 unrest victims

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17:29, 1 March, 2020

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, accompanied by his family, Cabinet members and other government officials, paid tribute to the memory of the 2008 March 1 unrest victims today, on the 12th anniversary of the events. The PM laid a wreath near the Myasnikyan statue in central Yerevan.

A rally was scheduled to take place, but the mass gathering was cancelled after authorities confirmed the first novel coronavirus case in the country.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1006861.html?fbclid=IwAR0HGKt0RoRMd8z7iTd8KcUsLMaa6dJgKwxlnejiTvgPBfaa90QNNtUevkI