In Armenia, the court has completely rejected the lawsuit filed by former President Robert Kocharyan against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the protection of honor and dignity, as well as for compensation.
“Elchi” reports that the AM Law Firm has released information regarding this matter.
According to the report, while speaking at a meeting of the Armenian government on June 5, 2025, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called Robert Kocharyan a “bribetaker.” Pashinyan stated that Kocharyan himself had requested the termination of the criminal prosecution in the bribery case against him on the grounds of the statute of limitations, and interpreted this as an admission of guilt.
Following this statement, Robert Kocharyan sued Pashinyan, demanding that he retract the information that tarnished his honor and dignity and pay compensation for moral damages.
On July 23, 2026, the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan issued a ruling completely rejecting the lawsuit.
In the decision, it was noted that the term “bribetaker” used by Pashinyan is an evaluative judgment with a factual basis formed on the basis of the criminal case in which Kocharyan participated and his behavior in that case. In reaching this conclusion, the court referred to precedents of the Court of Cassation of Armenia and the European Court of Human Rights.
As a result, the court considered that the evidence presented by the plaintiff was insufficient to satisfy the claim under the relevant article of the Civil Code, and therefore the lawsuit should be rejected.