Robert Kocharyan, Second President of Armenia, spoke at today’s court hearing about the charges against him, his meeting with the army’s top command on the eve of the events of March 1, 2008, and the grounds for declaring a state of emergency.
The president characterized the ongoing trial as a “theater of the absurd,” emphasizing that all of his actions stemmed from the Constitution in force at the time and were aimed at preserving statehood.
“Neither the investigative body nor the prosecutor’s office has yet clarified exactly what actions I took that exceeded my authority,” Kocharyan noted.
Speaking about his decision to declare a state of emergency on the evening of March 1, the president stressed that the situation was already spiraling out of control, and he was obligated to act.
“By the time I signed the decree, about 40 cars had already been set on fire, several dozen servicemen had been wounded by shrapnel, and one captain was very seriously wounded… And now, 15 years later, the investigator says that’s still not all. At that time, the police forces included conscripts aged 18-19. And now, years later, I’ll say whether it was necessary or not, whether it was right or not… It was within my authority. I repeat, if I hadn’t done that then, I would certainly be on trial today for inaction,” Kocharyan stressed.
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