Armtimes — On July 23, the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction issued a ruling fully rejecting the lawsuit filed by Robert Kocharyan against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The plaintiff had demanded a retraction of information he claimed defamed his honor and dignity, as well as financial compensation.
The dispute stemmed from a statement made by the Prime Minister during a cabinet meeting on June 5, 2025, in which he labeled Robert Kocharyan a "bribetaker." In his remarks, Nikol Pashinyan stated that the termination of a criminal case due to the expiration of the statute of limitations constitutes a de facto admission of guilt.
Based on legal precedents from the Court of Cassation and the ECHR, the court concluded that the statement was a value judgment with a factual basis. Since the criminal prosecution had been terminated on non-rehabilitating grounds, the court did not find it appropriate to grant the plaintiff's demands. Thus, the judicial act affirmed that insufficient evidence had been presented to substantiate the grounds defined under Article 1087.1 of the Civil Code.
