Prosecutor's Office Continues to Have Soviet-Type Approach, Says Kocharian's Lawyer

Members of the defense team for Armenia's second President Robert Kocharian, Aram Orbelyan and Hovhannes Khudoyan, held a press conference today. In a conversation with journalists, representatives of the defense expressed overall satisfaction with the court proceedings of the previous four days.

“The trial has generally proceeded smoothly. The biggest shortcoming was that the prosecution presented its case more times than allowed. Regardless of the time taken, globally recognized procedure dictates that speeches should be balanced. Other than that, I believe the trial has been transparent and normal, everyone had the opportunity to observe it. There have been certain tense moments, but such occurrences are typical during any trial. Overall, we assess the process positively,” Orbelyan stated.

Nevertheless, lawyer Aram Orbelyan also noted, “The Armenian Prosecutor's Office continues to have a Soviet-type prosecutorial approach — everyone must be arrested, everyone must be kept in custody, because all people are criminals or potential criminals.”

Kocharian's defenders pointed out that the statements made by Chief Prosecutor Arthur Davtyan to the court included even threats. Defense attorney Hovhannes Khudoyan remarked, “Telling the court that all responsibility falls on it and that it is responsible for this case is not legal and adds additional tension to the court, which is already under stress in the current climate.”