YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Supreme Body of the ARF party has reacted to the indictment of former President Robert Kocharyan.

In a statement, the ARF welcomed the ongoing steps for establishing the rule of law and eliminating the atmosphere of impunity, at the same time it strictly highlighted that the process must take place in the legal arena, in line with the spirit and letter of law.

ARF said that the government must implement a function of uniting the people, and not a single type of seeking any issue should jeopardize this unity. It said that it views the impartial and comprehensive investigation into the March 1 events in the abovementioned context.

ARF expressed concern over the indictment of second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and other then-officials over the March 1 events. ARF said the indictment could be interpreted as political repression.

The March 1 case is an ongoing investigation into the deadly 2008 post-election unrest in Yerevan. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at the time, as Serzh Sargsyan was named winner of the presidential election. Mass protests erupted in Yerevan, which led to fatal clashes between security forces and demonstrators.

Earlier criminal charges were pressed against Kocharyan over the March 1 case, and prosecutors requested a court to issue an arrest warrant.

Kocharyan is charged with paragraph 1 of Article 300.1 of the Criminal Code (breaching Constitutional order).

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan