Yerevan /Mediamax/. Former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan denies the Armenian Special Investigation Service’s charges against himself and considers them "legal surrealism”.

“It was Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters who tried to overthrow the constitutional order when they called for dissolution of the state system. What constitutional order did we attempt to overthrow? Only a person with sick imagination can assume it is possible. All of this is leaving an impression of legal surrealism,” Kocharyan said in the interview to Yerkir Media, which aired in the evening of July 26.

“These charges are fiction, fabricated, politically motivated, and they contradict the objective reality. I have never thought such a bogus criminal case possible,” said Robert Kocharyan.

The second Armenian president claims that current Armenian authorities are persecuting him to prevent his participation in snap elections.

“They are censuring the army. We are a country at war, what are we doing? Is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settled? Is the situation calm at our state borders? What is the purpose of censuring the army?” noted Kocharyan.

The former head of state added he was ready to face imprisonment and fight for his rights. He is certain he will win eventually.

“Yes, I might be jailed one of these days. I will go and sit in the cell, and I will fight for my rights. If they think I will try to escape, they are wrong. I have no reason to run,” he said.

“They have filed a court motion to arrest me. The first President of Karabakh, the second President of Armenia, the President of Artsakh in whose term we had fantastic victories and formed a safety zone, the President who grew Armenia’s economy fivefold might be jailed one of these days. I can imagine the fun Azerbaijan is having at us,” said Robert Kocharyan.

In the evening of July 26, the Armenian Special Investigation Service brought charges against the second Armenian President Robert Kocharyan in connection with the events of March 1-2, 2008.

The Special Investigation Service released the following statement:

“On the grounds of sufficient evidence which the Special Investigation Service of Armenia obtained during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case regarding the events that took place in Yerevan on 1-2 March 2008, on 26 July 2018 the Special Investigation Service has charged former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan with overthrowing the constitutional order by a preliminary agreement with other persons, a crime punishable under Paragraph 1 of Article 300 of the Criminal Code of Armenia.

On the same day, the Special Investigation Service has filed a motion to the Yerevan court of general jurisdiction to arrest Robert Kocharyan.”