Serzh Sargsyan

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Protesters in Yerevan during the Velvet Revolution. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media

Armenia

Power of the people: what made Armenia’s Velvet Revolution successful?

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•10 min read

In 2018, Armenians peacefully ousted their government in a fast-moving decentralised revolution. Six years on, and amidst regional upheaval, participants of the Velvet Revolution assess the key factors in the movement’s success. In the run-up to the spring of 2018, a change of government in Armenia seemed unlikely at best. Opposition to Serzh Sargsyan’s government had been steadily growing, intensifying in light of the announcement on 12 April that he would run for prime minister, having s

Armenia

Ex-president Serzh Sargsyan acquitted in embezzlement case

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•1 min read

Armenia’s third president, Serzh Sargsyan, has been acquitted of embezzling more than ֏489 million ($1.3 million) from the state in 2013. Sargsyan, who was forced to step down following the 2018 revolution, was charged in late 2019 and put on trial in early 2020. He denied the charges while his party, the Republican Party, decried them as politically motivated. Even if found guilty, Sargsyan would not have faced imprisonment because of an expiring statute of limitations. ‘It’s not like

Armenia

Armenia’s ex-president Serzh Sargsyan faces new criminal charges

by Ani Avetisyan

•1 min read

Following charges of embezzlement and improper use of state aircraft for private purposes, Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan is now accused of taking bribes. After the revolution in 2018, Silva Hambardzumyan, an Armenian businesswoman, told reporters that she gave bribes to the state officials in order to secure permission to start a business in the mining industry. Shortly thereafter, charges were laid against Armenia’s Second President Robert Kocharyan, his chief of staff and curre

Armenia

Criminal case launched over Armenian ex-President’s repeated trips to German spa town

by Ani Avetisyan

•1 min read

Armenia’s Special Investigation Service has launched a criminal investigation into over 15 trips by former President Serzh Sargsyan to the German spa town of Baden-Baden. The investigation was initiated on October 11 and concerns alleged ‘abuse of official authority’. The basis for the investigation was a recent report published by the Fact Investigation Platform (FIP), a Yerevan-based investigative and fact-checking organisation, that documented over 15 trips Sargsyan made to the German spa

Former presidents of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan (1991–1998), Robert Kocharyan (1998–2008), and Serzh Sargsyan (2008–2018). Official photos.

2021 Armenian Parliamentary Elections

Kocharyan snubs offer of triple alliance of former presidents

by Ani Avetisyan

•4 min read

Former President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan has turned down a proposed political alliance between the country’s three former presidents. On Wednesday, Armenia’s first President, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, published a draft of the proposed agreement to form a ‘National Accord Alliance’ between himself, Kocharyan, and Serzh Sargsyan. The proposal, an attempt to consolidate opposition to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, comes as Armenia prepares for snap parliamentary elections slated for June. Acc

Serzh Sargsyan. Screenshot of official live stream.

Armenia

Serzh Sargsyan speaks about April War after two years of silence

by OC Media

•3 min read

As the release of the conclusions of a formal inquiry into the 2016 April War in Nagorno-Karabakh loom, Armenia’s former president, Serzh Sargsyan, broke his years-long silence to give his side of the story in a press conference. Sargsyan gave the press conference on 19 August. The Special Committee on the Inquiry into the April War, which had organised the questioning, was tasked to investigate any possible shortcomings which may have occurred during the four days of clashes in 2016. H

Serzh Sargsyan speaks to supporters. Source: Channel 1, still from video.

Armenia

Armenia’s ex-President Serzh Sargsyan goes on trial

by OC Media

•3 min read

The trial of Serzh Sargsyan, who is charged with embezzling state funds, has begun. Sargsyan, who was forced to step down during the 2018 revolution, is charged with embezzlement. Sargsyan, who forced out of office during the 2018 revolution, was charged on 4 December 2019 after being called in for questioning at the Special Investigative Services (SIS). The first hearing was on 25 February. He is charged alongside businessperson Barsegh Beglaryan and three former Agriculture Ministry offi