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The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction will resume today the hearings on the bail plea of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan placed under renewed arrest since December 7.

The ex-president’s lawyers have filed a motion to the court to free their client on bail by changing the measure of restraint imposed on him, while the Special Investigative has petitioned the court to extend his pre-trial arrest by two months.

Speaking to reporters in the courtroom, Kocharyan’s lawyer Aram Orbelyan said they are preparing to lodge a third appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which might include a request to the court to acknowledge the former prisoner as a political prisoner. 

“It isn’t ruled out that we will include Article 18 which defines who is a political prisoner, in addition to violations of justice and freedom,” he said.

He highlighted the definitions of a number of international structures, including the Council of Europe on political prisoners, which ‘obviously’ applies for Kocharyan.

He once again didn’t rule out the possibility of including that issue in the third appeal.

Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing Armenia’s constitutional order during the March 1-2, 2008 post-election events in Yerevan. The former president and his lawyers strongly deny any wrongdoing.