The 'Our Way' Movement Condemns the Arrest of Clergy

The 'Our Way' popular movement condemns the arrest of Archbishop Mkrtich of the Aragatsotn Diocese and the investigative actions against other clergy and staff of the diocese. The movement has published a statement on the social network Facebook.

"The systematic and targeted attacks unleashed against the Armenian Apostolic Church aim to strike at our national identity and dismantle our national institutions. Law enforcement agencies in Armenia should focus on their core functions, and that will happen very soon," the statement reads.

Recall that on the early morning of October 15, law enforcement conducted a search at the home of Archbishop Mkrtich Proshyan and subsequently detained him. Besides the archbishop, 12 priests of the Aragatsotn Diocese and staff members were also detained.

Later, the Investigative Committee reported that three individuals were arrested, one of whom is the archbishop. He faces public criminal prosecution under two articles of the Criminal Code: obstructing the exercise of electoral rights by abusing official position and coercing participation in gatherings by using authority or official power.

The criminal proceedings were initiated based on statements made by priest Aram Asatryan of the Aragatsotn Diocese during a broadcast on Public Television (Asatryan stated that the diocesan leader had forced him and other priests to participate in opposition protest actions in 2021). Daniel Ioannisyan, the head of the 'Informed Citizens' NGO, has appealed to the General Prosecutor's Office of Armenia, drawing attention to the priest's statements.

On the early morning of October 16, Archbishop Mkrtich was arrested for two months, while the diocesan secretary, Father Garegin Arsenyan, was arrested for one month. The third detainee is the accountant of the archbishop's office, regarding whom a decision has yet to be made.