Despite the fact that there are many different professional opinions regarding the question of immunity surrounding the second president of the Republic of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, who has been accused of planning the events of March 1st, his lawyers have made one thing very clear: the former president is immune according the law. One of Robert Kocharyan’s lawyers, Hayk Alumyan, in an interview with reporters from the “Hayeli” newspaper, said, “If the president did something that is considered a crime according to law enforcement agencies, but he did it during his term as president or during his time as an authority, he cannot be held responsible according to the law.”
Hayk Alumyan observed that, “They say it’s not a good thing that there is such an article in the Constitution. However, the fact remains that there is no exception to the article regarding immunity. Perhaps a mechanism should be put into place which can override immunity, but as of right now, the immunity provided by the Constitution is absolute.”
In regard to the opinion that there can be no such thing as absolute immunity, the lawyer brought forth one example. “Say, for example, the president drove his car in place of his chauffeur, and an accident occurred, resulting in someone’s death. Since the president no longer exercises any authority, he would be subject to a proper criminal trial because he committed that crime while he was no longer president.”
