28 Jul 2018 13:01

Court in Yerevan frees CSTO secretary general on $11,000 bail

YEREVAN. July 28 (Interfax) - A first-instance court in Yerevan ruled late on Friday to grant bail equivalent to some $11,000 to Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Yury Khachaturov, charged with violating the constitutional order in 2008, and freed him from pretrial detention.

"After the payment of 5 million dram (about $11,000) in bail, Yury Khachaturov was freed," Khachaturov's lawyer Migran Pogosyan told journalists.

The Armenian Special Investigation Service earlier indicted Khachaturov in a case dealing with the dispersal of a demonstration on March 1, 2008.

"After comparing evidence obtained during the preliminary investigation into the criminal case concerning the events of March 1-2 [2008], Yury Khachaturov has been indicted under Armenian Criminal Code Article 300, Part 1, of overthrowing the constitutional system in collusion with other individuals. A request on Khachaturov's arrest has been forwarded to the first-instance court," the Special Investigation Service said.

On March 1, 2008, security forces dispersed thousands of protesters following a presidential election won by Serzh Sargsyan. Ten people were killed and over 250 injured.

A Yerevan court ruled earlier on Friday to arrest former President Robert Kocharyan on the same charges.