Ex-President’s defense team to file motion to recuse judge Anna Danibekyan
The Yerevan Court of Shengavit District will continue the hearing in the criminal case involving Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, and three other former officials on October 7. The hearing is held under presiding judge Anna Danibekyan.
The defense team of the ex-president will demand the judge to recuse herself from hearings, citing her ‘behavior toward R. Kocharyan.’
Judge Anna Danibekyan earlier declined two consecutive motions of the defense team to cease criminal prosecution against the ex-president, following the Constitutional Court ruling on the unconstitutionality of a legal provision used as grounds to prosecute the former president. The court later declined the motion of the defense team to release the ex-president on bail
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’.