Lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan Addresses Arrests of Clergymen

Lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan has commented on the arrests of clergymen: 'Since the anti-national government has shifted to a blitzkrieg of filling agendas, we must try to keep the following topics in the spotlight:

1. New filthy persecutions are being directed against the clergymen of the Armenian Apostolic Church, with gross violations of rights; churches are being closed under the pretext of investigative actions.
2. The illegal extension of the detention of political prisoner Samvel Karapetyan.
3. The relative of a missing person, Arsen Ghukasyan, who suffers from illnesses incompatible with detention, is being tortured.
4. Archbishop Mikael Saroyan is being held hostage as a prisoner of conscience.
5. The following are being held hostage in the case of 18 righteous people: Bishop Bagrat Saroyan, Lidia Mantashyan, Igor Sargsyan, Arthur Sargsyan, Tigran Galstyan, Tigran Topalyan, Arman Israyelyan, Armen Aleksanyan, Arsen Ghazaryan, Karo Okumashyan, Hayk Shahnazaryan, Movses Sharbatyan, Vahagn Chakhalyan, while Agvan Arshakyan, Ara Rostomyan, Davit Galstyan, Mihran Maksudyan, and deacon Hrayr Hakobyan are suffering deprivations.
6. Garik Galeyan, the father of a fallen soldier, is unlawfully imprisoned, and the procedural rights of the relatives of the fallen are being restricted.
7. Two days ago, the Venice Commission reaffirmed that illegal persecution against opposition members has been conducted in recent years for covering the expenses of people's participation in gatherings.'