On February 5, Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan filed a lawsuit against Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan, demanding a public apology and 1 million drams in compensation for insulting statements made about him.
According to Hetq, the demand centers on remarks Kocharyan made during a January 29, 2026 press conference. When a journalist referenced Simonyan’s critical comments about past conditions in the army, highlighting supply shortages and the mistreatment of soldiers by officers, Kocharyan responded dismissively.
“You’re seriously taking Simonyan’s words into account? He says all kinds of things,” Kocharyan said. “If Alen Simonyan is evaluating the army’s combat readiness, we’ve really hit rock bottom. What does that man even know about the military? I doubt he even served properly. People that slippery can’t serve normally.”
Simonyan considered these remarks defamatory and is demanding that Kocharyan issue a public apology via a written statement on his Facebook page, making it visible to all users for at least five working days. If that’s not technically possible, Simonyan is requesting that the apology be published in a print outlet with a circulation of at least 5,000 copies.
In addition to the public apology, Simonyan is seeking 1 million drams in moral damages and reimbursement of legal fees totaling 530,000 drams—480,000 for attorney fees and 50,000 for the state fee.
