Minister of Justice: In order to understand whether there is any  political subtext in Kocharyan`s case, you need to wait for the High  Judicial Council`s assessment 

ArmInfo.If the judge considers that there are relevant grounds for his withdrawal, he must submit a withdrawal. On April 29, at a press conference, Justice Minister  Artak Zeynalyan said this in response to the question of why judges  refuse the case of the second Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.

The minister noted that the grounds necessary for self-withdrawal are  fixed in the judicial code. "If doubts arise in connection with the  justifications given by the judge, the ethics commission should apply  to the High Judicial Council on this issue," the minister stressed.

On the question of whether there is a political subtext in the  Kocharyan's case, the minister noted that the relevant assessment of  the High Judicial Council should be read on this issue. At the same  time, Zeynalyan refused to answer the question of whether there are  political prisoners in Armenia, but insisted that there are no  illegally arrested people in the country. "If it turns out that there  is no reason for keeping a person under arrest, the court decides to  change the preventive measure. Moreover, under the current  authorities, arrest is rarely used as a preventive measure," the  minister said.

To note, three judges of the court of general jurisdiction of Yerevan  - David Grigoryan, Nelli Baghdasaryan and Harutyun Manukyan submitted  a  recusal, and for various reasons refused to hear the case against  the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan. The Ethics  Commission examined this issue and initiated proceedings against the  judges, referring the case to the High Judicial Council for a  decision on whether to bring judges to disciplinary responsibility.

To recall, the second President of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, is  accused of overthrowing the Constitutional system, in the framework  of the events of March 1, 2008. Lawyers for the second president of  Armenia have repeatedly stated that Robert Kocharyan is a political  prisoner and is being persecuted by the new authorities. Lawyer Hayk  Alumyan claimed a violation of the order and standards of legal  proceedings, moreover, according to the lawyer there is pressure put  on the court.