Robert Kocharyan, Armenia’s second president charged with usurping state power in March 2008, will not be released from pre-trial detention even though 46 Armenian MPs have personally guaranteed that Kocharyan would not flee the country.

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.

The court then decreed that he be detained for two months, arguing that the former president could influence the upcoming trial if issued bail.

Fifteen Artsakh MPs have also signed a petition to release Kocharyan from pre-trial detention.

Arevik Khachatryan, who heads the public affairs division at the Prosecutor General’s Office, says the underlying reason to detain Kocharyan remains valid.