The “reopening” of Robert Kocharyan’s case has several “dimensions” that, in my view, should be considered separately.
Political dimension: The second president bears political responsibility for the events of March 1, 2008. His decade in power was characterized by the establishment of a harsh authoritarian regime marked by political repression, unsolved murders, the brutal suppression of free speech, and the crystallization of a corrupt system. The events of March 1 were the regime’s peak, its final “paroxysm.”
Legal dimension: Viewing the events of March 1 as an “attempt to subvert the constitutional order” seems extremely unconvincing from a legal standpoint. Having once failed to prove such a charge, it is unclear why it would succeed a second time. Additionally, the Constitutional Court’s decision to “reopen” the case is legally vulnerable, as at least two judges involved had prior ties to anti-Kocharyan activities.
The corruption charges, however, appear legitimate to me. The prosecution just needs highly competent experts to convincingly prove these accusations.
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Propaganda dimension: Given the lack of independent courts in Armenia, and the fact that investigative bodies and the prosecutor’s office often act based on political expediency, there are grounds to believe that the order to reopen the case came “from above.” The goal is straightforward: to divert public attention from the government’s steps toward making new concessions to Azerbaijan.
For official propaganda, “Kocharyan” serves as a “bogeyman” used to scare citizens, and being labeled as “Kocharyan’s” is a tactic the government uses to discredit any political opponent. Thus, it is in the current government’s interest to keep and “use” the Second president for as long as possible.
Aram Abrahamyan
