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The March 15 court ruling to extend ex-president Robert Kocharyan’s detention measure was not unexpected, the member of Kocharyan’s defense team Hayk Alumyan told reporters at a press conference on Saturday. In Alumyan’s words, the court ruling came against the backdrop of the ongoing pressure on the country’s judicial system.

The lawyer said that the materials of the criminal case have been obtained by the lawyers team and now it is obvious that the charges are groundless. Alumyan added their conclusions are based on the taped phone conversations between top security officials of the country as well as public statements and threats to judges by PM Nikol Pashinyan

“We may recall how many judges recused themselves from the pre-trial detention case of ex-[resident. The reason was from one hand there were neither basis not conditions for Kocharyan’s detention and from the other hand they are risking to become a target for the PM and the authorities if they release Kocharyan as judge Azaryan’s case showed.” the lawyer said.

Alumyan reminded that on August 13 when Robert Kocharyan was released four days later PM Pashinyan made statements containing hate speech against the judges at the Republic square. “Can a judge in Armenia dare not to follow my instructions?” Pashinyan said at the time.

To remind, Armenia’s second President Kocharyan is in custody since December 7, 2018, pending trial. He is charged with overthrowing Armenia’s constitutional order during the March 1-2, 2008 post-election events in Yerevan. Kocharyan and his lawyers strongly deny the charges as ‘politically motivated’.