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Court in Yerevan rules former president Robert Kocharyan to remain in custody

The court made a decision to turn down the request filed by Mr. Kocharyan’s lawyers

Robert Kocharyan Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure/TASS

Robert Kocharyan

© Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure/TASS

YEREVAN, November 7. /TASS/. A general jurisdiction court in Yerevan met in session on Thursday to turn down a request filed by the lawyers of the country’s former president, Robert Kocharyan, for releasing their client on bail. Kocharyan shall remain in custody the court said. The session was telecast by local news portals online.

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

"The court made a decision to turn down the request filed by Mr. Kocharyan’s lawyers. He will remain in custody," Judge Anna Danibekyan ruled.

The group of lawyers defending Armenia’s second president, Robert Kocharyan, on Tuesday asked the court the recognize bail as a permissible restrictive measure and use it in relation to their client. Also, they asked for "reasonable" bail.

The trial in the case over an attempt to overthrow the constitutional system in March 2008 began in Yerevan on September 12. The defendants are Kocharyan, former CSTO Secretary-General Yuri Khachaturov, former Defense Minister Seiran Oganyan and former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorkyan.

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