46 Armenian MPs (42 from the Republican Party of Armenia, 3 from the ARF, and one from Prosperous Armenia) have signed a petition to release former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan from pre-trial detention.

The latest to sign the petition is Prosperous Armenia MP Ishkhan Zakaryan, a former president of the Court of Appeals.

On July 28, Kocharyan was charged with “usurping state power” during the March1-2, 2008 public protests in Yerevan that claimed the lives of ten individuals. A court then decreed that he be detained for two months, arguing that the former president could influence the court if issued bail.

Photo (from left): Ishkhan Zakaryan, Robert Kocharyan