Mkrtich Surbazan Arrested for Two Months, Visitations Restricted

Mkrtich Surbazan has been arrested for two months, with the court also restricting visitations with other individuals, except for close relatives, namely his mother. This was stated by Yerem Sargsyan, one of Surbazan's lawyers, during a conversation with reporters.

“The court found that alternative measures such as house arrest, bail, etc., are currently insufficient. We will definitely appeal the decision in the appellate court because there is a clear characteristic of an illegal judicial act, which we pointed out throughout the trial. Two important considerations must be emphasized: At the moment, one of the articles attributed to him was not a crime at the time the alleged act was committed. In other words, they claim that in 2021 you coerced someone to participate in an election and not choose a specific person, while in 2021 that was not a crime. By the 2022 Criminal Code, it has been reclassified as a crime. And the law is clear: if at the time of the act it was not a crime, future criminalization cannot be retroactive and considered. Therefore, this could not have been presented as an accusation at all.

However, as we can see, they are, so to speak, deaf and mute; they do not see or hear anything as long as this is the outcome of a specific instruction,” he stated.

Regarding the other charge, according to the lawyer, they argue that by applying specific methods and exercising your powers, you forced someone to participate in a gathering but failed to demonstrate by law how that coercion took place. “In general, they could not show coercion, and they could not demonstrate any official powers. In other words, there are only words claiming that a crime was committed, but there is no criminal characteristic of how that crime manifested itself. Therefore, at least on these grounds, we will definitely appeal,” he added.

In response to the fact that the Investigative Committee has released photographs showing money and gold bars, Sargsyan said, “They went and searched the diocese, and of course, they will find money. What is the problem with finding money? Should there not be money at the diocese? It is completely natural that there is money, and it should be there because there are numerous expenses that need to be covered.”

He noted that until now, not a single priest had been arrested. “And then the political leadership declares a campaign against the Church, and the entire system of investigation, prosecution, police, and NSS is filled with cases of the arrests of clerics and bishops. After all this, can we say that this is a normal legal process? Of course not. Therefore, one should not be surprised today that these bodies are doing what is expected by the political authority,” he concluded.