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The court hearing of the criminal case against Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan and three other former officials started on Monday in the Yerevan court. Ex-President Kocharyan who is present at the hearing and his defense team members first suggested to hold the hearing in a larger room to accommodate all citizens wishing to follow the hearing.

As the member of the defense team Hayk Alumyan said, the judge announced the hearing was open to public yet the court bailiffs had blocked the entrance to the court, barring people from accessing the courtroom.

“Holding an open hearing seems to be simply a formality. Is there any possibility for people wishing to follow the court hearing to come and follow?” Alumyan asked rhetorically.

The judge admitted that the court bailiffs shouldn’t have prevented people from entering the courtroom. After the respective instruction, several people were able to enter the courtroom. Later the hearing was interrupted by them, chanting “Freedom, Freedom” and clapping.

Judge Davit Grigoryan then stated about the decision to allow video recording and broadcasting from the courtroom.

Later, the members of Kocharyan’s defense team asked the judgJ for clarification regarding Armenia’s Prosecuto General’s entering the courtroom from the judge’s service entrance. One of the lawyers, Hayk Alumyan, asked whether the Prosecutor General was in the same room with the Judge, whether there were any relations or interactions between the Prosecutor and the Judge out of the ongoing proceedings. In response to the lawyer’s enquiry, the Judge announced that he had no duty to follow who enters the courtroom from where. Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan, in turn, insisted the Judge was not aware. Alumyan next suggested the possible interaction between the Prosecutor General and the Judge could serve basis for filing a petition for the judge disqualification. The hearing then was interrupted at the request of the lawyers. The Judge provided time to the defense team for filing a petition to recuse the judge from the case in a written form.

To note, apart from the Prosecutor General, prosecutors Karen Bisharyan, Petros Petrosyan and Gevorg Baghdasaryan are present at the hearing to defend the indictment.

To note, according to the indictment, ex-President Robert Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing Armenia’s constitutional order during the March 1-2, 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan, abusing his powers and taking a bribe of large amount during his tenure from 1998 to 2008.

Seyran Ohanyan and Yuri Khachaturov, who served as Armenia’s deputy defense minister in 2008, have also been charged with an overthrow of the constitutional order during the post-election events.

Meanwhile, Armen Gevorgyan is charged with assistance to an overthrow of the constitutional order, corruption and money laundering. The former president is currently remanded in pre-trial custody. Ohanyan and Gevorgyan have been released on a signature bond, while Yuri Khachaturov has been set free on bail.