Armenia’s ex-President Kocharyan arrested and placed in detention facility

Armenia’s former President Robert Kocharyan has been placed under arrest and is kept at a pre-trial facility in the building of Armenia’s National Security Service in Yerevan, the service's head Artur Vanetsyan said on Friday.

"Robert Kocharyan was arrested under a court ruling. As far as I know, he is being kept at the Yerevan-Center penitentiary," Vanetsyan said.

On December 7, Armenia’s Court of Appeals upheld the first instance court’s ruling to arrest the former head of the republic who is accused of overturning the constitutional system in 2008. On the same day, Kocharyan decided not to wait for the enforcement of the court order and appeared at the National Security Service’s detention facility in person.

On July 26, Armenia’s Special Investigative Service brought charges against former President Robert Kocharyan (1998-2008) on overturning the constitutional system by force in 2008, and turned to court to sanction his arrest. Kocharayn was questioned by investigators probing into the murders during opposition protests on March 1, 2008. The former president was placed in custody under a court order on the following day.

On August 13, Yerevan’s Court of Appeals ruled to release Kocharyan who enjoyed immunity under the national constitution. On November 15, Armenia’s Court of Cassation satisfied a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office and referred Kocharyan’s case back to the Court of Appeals.