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Second Armenian President Robert Kocharyan’s lawyer, Hayk Alumyan, again denounced the criminal case against the former president as “political persecution”.

“From the very beginning it was clear to those having insight into the case that political persecution was being carried out,” Alumyan told a news conference on Monday, referring to the criminal case into the alleged overthrow of the constitutional order in 2008 involving Kocharyan and three other former top officials.

He underlined that simply there were differing views on the goals pursued by those who ordered the persecution.

"Now it has become clear to many; the people are getting to understand the actual purpose and target of this political persecution,” Alumyan said.

He recalled that presiding judge Anna Danibekyan interrupted the speech of former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan, which contained political assessments, and did not allow him to proceed with it at a court hearing in the case. Alumyan noted that, meanwhile, the reality is different from what the court tries to present.

He believes there will be more cases during the next court hearings when the defense lawyers will try to substantiate their claims on the political persecution against their clients, while the judge will not allow them to present their arguments under the pretext that political statements must not be made in court, whereas the events of March 1 are political and the indictment presents political processes.