Significant Incidents Involving Clergy Reported

The newspaper 'Zhoghovurd' reports that on October 25, during a mass organized by Stepan Asatryan at the Holy Mother of God Monastery in Hovhannavank, significant incidents occurred involving the clergy of the Aragatsotn diocese. One of the clergymen was forced into a car and driven approximately 100 meters in an unknown direction from Hovhannavank.

We had previously informed that on October 26, prior to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Hovhannavank and participation in the mass organized by Stepan Asatryan, plainclothes law enforcement officials were monitoring various clergy members' residences in the Aragatsotn diocese to prevent their potential visit.

In parallel with this situation, lawyer Ara Zohrapyan reported that on October 26, 2025, police attempted to detain Father Paren Arkakelyan while he was heading to the Saghmosavank Monastery early in the morning to conduct a Holy Immortal Liturgy. The first attempt to detain him took place in front of the diocesan headquarters in Ashtarak, but when police saw that he was accompanied by others, they withdrew. Police claims such as 'we will definitely go' and 'that’s indisputable' ceased due to Father Paren's insistence, and the situation was resolved when they were convinced that he was going to Saghmosavank, not Hovhannavank.

However, while Father Paren was believed and allowed to leave quietly, the situation was more concerning in the case of another clergyman. According to information received by 'Zhoghovurd', plainclothes individuals (essentially law enforcement officers) abducted Father Yeghishe Barskyan. He was forced into a vehicle by these plainclothes individuals, driven for about a hundred meters, and when they confirmed he was not heading to Hovhannavank, they dropped him off at a completely different location. This implies that the clergyman was deprived of his freedom of movement, forcibly placed in the car, effectively abducted, and later decided to be released.