The Law Does Not Function Against Kocharian in Armenia, Says Viktor Soghomonyan

The court's decision has demonstrated that the so-called "Robert Kocharian case" has completely transitioned from a legal framework to a political realm. This was stated by Viktor Soghomonyan, the head of the second president's office, while commenting to NEWS.am on the decision announced today by the Court of General Jurisdiction regarding the request made by Robert Kocharian's attorneys.

It is worth noting that the court rejected the request concerning the selection of a preventive measure unrelated to imprisonment. On September 17, the court had also dismissed a request for Kocharian's release based on a Constitutional Court ruling.

“It is clear that the law does not function against Robert Kocharian in Armenia. The courts, under unprecedented pressure from the authorities, are making illegal decisions. We are even dealing with an unprecedented phenomenon— the court has ignored the decision of the Constitutional Court. Therefore, we can state that we are faced with a new twist in the political persecution of Robert Kocharian.

We can confirm that the fight for his release has become a significant element of political struggle and represents not just a fight for the freedom of an individual, although it concerns a prominent state figure, but also about the defense of Armenian statehood and the protection of the rule of law in Armenia. This is the essence of the processes taking place today. This became clear after the two decisions from the Court of General Jurisdiction— the previous one and this one.

At the beginning of next week, we will announce the format in which we will continue the political struggle for the release of Armenia's second president and for the restoration of law and order in the country. This will be carried out exclusively through political and legal methods. We will provide details at the beginning of next week,” Soghomonyan noted.