Artsakh MPs launch petition to change ex-President Kocharyan’s measure of restraint

A group of Artsakh lawmakers have today submitted a petition to Armenia’s Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan, asking him to change the measure of restraint against ex-President Robert Kocharyan charged with usurping power in the period of March 2008 post-election unrest.

The MPs urge Davtyan to change the arrest ruling against Kocharyan taking into account the former president’s 'contribution to the development and state building of Armenia and Artsakh', the National Assembly spokesperson Anush Ghavalyan told Panorama.am.

The official did not share details on the number and identity of Artsakh MPs who have joined the petition.

As reported earlier, 45 Armenian lawmakers jointed a similar petition submitted to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Kocharyan, the first president of Artsakh and the second president of Armenia, is arrested for two months. Armenia’s Special Investigative Service has charged him with “overthrowing the constitutional order in the country with a group of people” in the scope of the criminal case launched into the 2008 post-election crackdown in Armenia, which left eight civilians and two police officers dead.

Kocharyan, remanded in custody since 27 July, has not pleaded guilty.