UN rapporteur condemns charges against Aleksandr Kochubaev

Mary Lawlor, the UN's special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, has strongly condemned the charges against Armenian lawyer Aleksandr Kochubaev and called on the Armenian authorities to drop them immediately.

"I welcome that Armenian lawyer & HRD Aleksandr Kochubaev was released from pre-trial detention, but I strongly condemn the pending criminal charges against him & urge the Armenian authorities to drop them immediately. Mr. Kochubaev is criminalised for criticising the unjust persecution of clerics of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which led the peaceful protests in 2024," she said in a statement on Wednesday.

On October 28, Kochubaev has been released from pre-trial custody and placed under a travel ban. He was arrested on October 16 over a social media post critical of judicial officials.