Why Was Alexander Kochubaev Detained? The Tribunal’s View

A well-known attorney, Alexander Kochubaev, has been detained, according to 5TV.

The Investigative Committee reports that charges have been filed against Kochubaev for publishing information that allegedly discredits the professional activities of a judge, a prosecutor, and an investigator, as well as for causing other harm to their rights and lawful interests.

According to the Telegram channel “Mr. General", the arrest was prompted by a social media post made by Kochubaev.

In Armenia, the well-known attorney Alexander Kochubaev was detained after posting on social media that investigators, judges, and prosecutors had “sold out to the Devil” and were persecuting the Church, expressing confidence that they would inevitably face a “visitation from God.”

According to attorney Ruben Melikyan, the detention was carried out by security forces, fully armed and masked, using what he described as “fascist methods.”

Experts from the Public Tribunal of Armenia believe that the likely reason for the arrest may be Alexander Kochubaev’s statements in an interview with 5TV Channel on March 12, 2025, concerning the circumstances surrounding Nikol Pashinyan’s amnesty and his claims that Serzh Sargsyan initiated the 2015 constitutional reform to pave the way for Pashinyan’s rise to power. Kochubaev presented evidence suggesting that Pashinyan’s ascent had been prepared as early as March 1, 2008.

“I have studied all the documents on the amnesties announced in Armenia between 2006 and 2013. In 2006, the National Assembly allowed exemption from punishment for all persons sentenced to five years in prison who had served one-third of their terms. The same applied in 2009 and 2013. Under all these acts, amnesty did not apply to individuals who had committed crimes for a second time. Now, let’s look at the Law on Amnesty of 2011: it applied to everyone sentenced to eight years who had served one-quarter of their term. Mr. Pashinyan was sentenced to seven years. So, the five-year threshold, which had remained unchanged before, was increased to eight years. There’s another nuance: the exception for repeat offenders was removed, even though Nikol Pashinyan had previously been convicted in 1998. The minimum requirement was reduced to one-quarter of the term — exactly the portion Pashinyan had served at the time.”

Kochubaev continued: “Let me share my own view. There’s a claim that the 2015 Constitution was ‘tailored for Serzh Sargsyan.’ But does Serzh Sargsyan have higher education? Yes, he does. Was there a requirement for members of parliament to have higher education before 2015? Yes. Was there such a requirement for the prime minister? Yes, there was. However, according to the 2015 Constitution, the prime minister is no longer required to have higher education. So, was that change really for Serzh Sargsyan, or for Nikol Pashinyan? The one without higher education is Pashinyan. Consequently, the Constitution was adjusted for him.”