Kocharyan supporters, critics again protest outside Yerevan court

Supporters and detractors of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan are again staging demonstrations outside the Shengavit Residence of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction.

The court, presided over by judge Anna Danibekyan, is expected to announce a ruling on the demands of the ex-president’s lawyers at 1pm on Tuesday.

During the first court hearing on 12 September, Kocharyan’s lawyers petitioned Danibekyan to free the former president and end his prosecution, citing the Constitutional Court’s September 4 decision to partly accept an appeal filed by them.

Kocharyan’s supporters demand the court to implement the highest court’s ruling to release Kocharyan, whereas the rival group demands the court to keep him in custody pending the outcome of his trial.