Lawyers for ex-Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, now jailed on charges of usurping state power during the March 1, 2008 post-election public protests, today called on Armenia’s Special Investigative Service(SIS) to halt its criminal prosecution of their client.

In a statement released today, Kocharyan’s defense team claims that the charge (Article 301 of the Armenian Criminal Code) is not applicable in Kocharyan’s case.

Kocharyan’s lawyers also accuse the SIS of being stingy and prejudiced when releasing information on the case to the public.

The lawyers say they will set the matter right by releasing their own periodic updates of the case to the public.