Incident Between Clergyman and Jehovah's Witnesses in Ararat Continues

An incident that occurred between Jehovah's Witnesses and a clergyman of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Ararat on Friday, March 24, has reportedly not concluded with the police's involvement. This was reported by the newspaper 'Hraparak'.

It is noteworthy that the video of the incident has been actively circulating on social media for the past two days. The footage shows Jehovah's Witnesses stationed in the streets of Ararat and Artashat for the purposes of preaching. The incident arose when Father Zareh Ashuryan, a clergyman of the Ararat Diocese, sought to prevent or restrain what he described as proselytization by the Jehovah's Witnesses, leading to a confrontation that continued with a dirty scenario of social media campaigns.

In response to the clergyman's proactive efforts, the Jehovah's Witnesses contacted the police. The clergyman was taken to the Ararat police station from the scene of the incident. However, hours later, after being released, Jehovah's Witnesses launched an assault on the clergyman's social media page, posting personal messages with insults, threats, and curses. For three days, they conducted a campaign against him, attempting to intimidate him and prevent any further actions, making it clear that if he did not cease his efforts, the incident would escalate aggressively.

The clergyman intervening in the Jehovah's Witnesses' activities is the spiritual leader of the St. Savior Church in Ararat. In a conversation with 'Hraparak', Father Zareh confirmed that a campaign against him had begun since the day of the incident. He stated that he planned to give a television interview today, during which he would detail the threats with evidence.

Father Zareh is convinced that against the backdrop of the tense situation in the country, especially at a time when the nation faces significant threats, the increased visits of Jehovah's Witnesses to border villages in Ararat are no coincidence. He sees great risks, reminding that this particular sect rejects military service in defense of the Fatherland and is also opposed to blood transfusions, which could result in saving human lives.

Interestingly, the vocal inquiries directed at the Jehovah's Witnesses by Father Zareh regarding their stance on certain issues seemed to irritate them. He questioned whether they considered the Azerbaijani soldier who recently killed the conscript Arshak Karapetyan in Yeraskh to be an enemy. He asked if Armenian youths who are being drafted or volunteering to defend their homeland and taking up arms against invaders are doing the right thing. The clergyman recorded this conversation on his phone and streamed it live, revealing how the Jehovah's Witnesses consistently avoided answering his questions and grew tense when he labeled Azerbaijanis as enemies.

The video shows how several individuals attempted to undermine the clergyman's message, refusing to address him as a clergyman and instead treating him as an ordinary citizen. They called the police, preventing him from interfering with their activities.

In our conversation, Father Zareh expressed his expectation that all of this has not escaped the notice of law enforcement agencies. He is prepared to pursue legal action, hoping that the National Security Service will pay special attention to such incidents, which he describes as anti-national and aimed at weakening society and the army from behind.