Arrest of Robert Kocharyan's son 'politically motivated', lawyer says
Lawyer Alexander Kochubaev has called the detection of Levon Kocharyan, the son of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, “politically motivated”.
The man was arrested during anti-government protests in Yerevan on Friday and is accused of beating four police officers.
The lawyer claims videos posted on social media indicate that Levon Kocharyan was himself subjected to violence after being forced into a police van in accordance with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's order of "tough response" to protests.
“This is an attempt to stop civil disobedience actions, and the arrest of Levon Kocharyan is exclusively politically motivated,” he said in a social media post on Saturday, adding his arrest will be challenged in court.