During the June 19 evening broadcast of RFE / RL’s Armenian service, there was a report on the second president of RA, Robert Kocharyan’s case which is currently undergoing an appeal in the Court of Appeals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ_ohbsiO8E
Prosecutor General Arthur Davtyan insists in the court that the decisions of the first instance court are unfounded and illegal, after he addresses another topic; how can an official, who has not got any right to be engaged in entrepreneurship, make such a fortune in 2007-2009? The topic is about 18 million dollars that were deposited into Kocharyan son’s account. Then, the other prosecutor, Petros Petrosyan, says in his speech that the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction by releasing Kocharyan, suspending the case and sending it to the Constitutional Court allowed procedural violations. Referring to the other accusatory act, according to which R. Kocharyan received a large bribe, he mentions that there are evidence and questioning in the case, reminding of the interrogations of former Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan and Kocharyan’s close friend, businessman Samvel Mayrapetyan, as well as testimonies of businesswoman Silva Hambardzumyan and others. In the same report it is also mentioned that the relatives of March 1 victims joined the protests of prosecutors, victims’ assignees Vahe Grigoryan and Seda Safaryan.
During the mentioned release, most of the time is provided to the prosecution. At the end of the report, R. Kocharian’s junior son, Levon Kocharyan, is given a few seconds at the end of the trial. Speaking to the reporters he says that when listening to the the relatives of the victims he was really touched, and when responding to Prosecutor General’s statement on $ 18 million, only a single sentence of his respond was broadcasted. That is to say, “Azatutyun” News Center broadcasted an unbalanced coverage: speeches of prosecutors have been presented, the views of the defense have not been voiced, which contradicts the principles of impartial information.
