Nagorno-Karabakh’s three leading parliamentary parties have called on authorities in Armenia to release Robert Kocharian, the Karabakh-born former president facing coup charges, from custody.
In a joint statement issued over the weekend, the Free Fatherland, Democratic Artsakh and Movement-88 parties said Kocharian should be freed pending investigation “given his considerable contribution to the establishment of the two Armenian republics.”
The largest of those parties, Free Fatherland, is led by Ara Harutiunian, who was Karabakh’s prime minister until June 2018. Democratic Artsakh is headed by the Karabakh parliament speaker, Ashot Ghulian, while Movement-88 claims to be in opposition to the authorities in Stepanakert.
Kocharian was again arrested on December 7 on charges of illegally using Armenian army units against opposition supporters who protested against alleged fraud in a disputed presidential election held in February 2008. He strongly denies the accusations, saying that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is waging a political “vendetta” against him.
Born and raised in Karabakh, Kocharian was one of the leaders of the 1988 movement for the Armenian-populated territory’s unification with what was then Soviet Armenia. He became Karabakh’s top government official in 1992 during its war with Azerbaijan.
Kocharian, 64, governed Karabakh until becoming Armenia’s prime minister in 1997. He served as the country’s president from 1998-2008.
The Karabakh parties called for the ex-president’s release two days after the unrecognized republic’s president, Bako Sahakian, met with Pashinian in Yerevan. Sahakian’s office said vaguely that they discussed cooperation between Armenia and Karabakh “in different areas.” Pashinian’s press service issued no statements on the meeting.
The two men met for a second time since Pashinian’s public spat with Karabakh Armenian leaders which erupted during Armenia’s recent parliamentary election campaign.
One of the Armenian premier’s key political allies, Sasun Mikaelian, declared during the campaign that this spring’s protest movement that brought Pashinian to power was more important than the Armenian victory in the 1991-1994 war for Karabakh.
Mikaelian’s remark was condemned by Armenian opposition politicians as well as senior officials in Stepanakert, including the spokesmen for Sahakian and General Levon Mnatsakanian, the then commander of Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army.
Pashinian accused the critics of misinterpreting what Mikaelian meant to say. He specifically lambasted the Karabakh leadership, accusing it of “meddling” in the Armenian parliamentary race.
Mnatsakanian was sacked on December 14.
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