The Investigative Committee Must Provide Clear and Comprehensive Explanations, Says Archbishop Arshak's Lawyer

Arsen Babayan, the lawyer of Archbishop Arshak, wrote on Facebook: “A photocopy of a letter attributed to the bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has been circulated in the press today. I am not aware of whether this letter is actually authentic or not. Since it pertains exclusively to the internal relations of the clergy and the internal processes of the church, and that area is beyond my jurisdiction, I cannot and do not wish to express any opinion regarding it.

However, there is a comment in the letter that directly concerns my powers, which I find necessary to respond to. During the interrogation in the context of the case involving Archbishop Khachatryan, neither he nor I were presented with any decision to appoint an expert examination, nor was any expert conclusion presented. This reasonably shapes a justified belief that such an examination was neither appointed nor carried out. That assertion is based on the procedures established by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia for the appointment and execution of expert examinations.

Moreover, it is evident that even if such an expert conclusion existed, it could not have been provided to any other person, including the mentioned bishops, due to the confidentiality requirements of the preliminary investigation. Considering the public resonance of this issue, I believe that the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia is obliged to provide clear and comprehensive explanations concerning this matter.”