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Opposition Homeland Party leader Artur Vanetsyan, a former director of Armenia’s National Security Service, cheered Friday’s ruling of the Constitutional Court that declared Article 300.1 of the country’s penal code unconstitutional and invalid.

The ruling issued by the top court says that Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code concerning “overthrow of the constitutional order”, under which Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan and three other former senior officials are being prosecuted, runs counter to Articles 78 and 79 of the Constitution. The articles deal with the principles of proportionality and certainty.

In an interview to Hraparak Daily, Vanetsyan called the top court ruling a “logical result and a milestone” for the state, primarily in terms of the law.

“The political processes in this case are secondary. It is very important that institutions upholding rule of law function in the country irrespective of the will of the political authorities. I considered infamous Article 300.1 unconstitutional long ago,” Vanetsyan said.

Asked whether this matter was the key reason for his resignation and call to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to “stop”, Vanetsyan said, “Let’s consider it one of the important points of my call. Yes, I have never hidden my viewpoint both on this case and the inadmissible pressures on the Constitutional Court for months. We should have used that time to restore public solidarity and avert war,” he said, adding the court decision is of special significance for him.

“For my teammates and people trusting me, it is yet another proof that I was right at the time. It is important also for those who still remain in power, that my warnings were based exclusively on the state interests. It turns out that the unconstitutional and invalid article caused internal hostility, serious problems with Russia, inadmissible tensions in the CSTO, a decline of moral-psychological spirit in the army, and so on,” Vanetsyan said.

Asked what actions should follow the ruling of the high court, the former security chief said: “Resignations… from political sphere and law enforcement agencies, as well as apologies to those being persecuted as part of this case.”