Archbishop Arshak Refuses to Appear Before Investigative Committee

Lawyer Arsen Babayan has announced on his Facebook page that he received a notification via email from the RA Investigative Committee today, stating that a decision to appoint a forensic examination had been made by an investigator of the Main Investigation Department on November 25, 2025, and its conclusion had been obtained. The Investigative Committee, considering that this decision and conclusion are legally related to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan (they have directly indicated them), has suggested that he appear before the Investigative Committee.

In connection with this, we declare the following: Taking into account the fact that according to criminal procedural legislation, 1) the investigator was obliged to present this decision to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan before sending it to the expert, as it is legally related to his interests, which has not been done. 2) After becoming acquainted with the decision, Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan and his lawyer had the right to request that additional questions be posed to the expert, a possibility which has been denied by the investigator. 3) Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan and/or his lawyer had the right to be present during the expert examination, a possibility which has been denied by the investigator. 4) Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan had the right to provide clarifications to the expert, a possibility which has been denied by the investigator, and a number of other rights which the investigator has unlawfully deprived him of.

At the same time, considering that according to a document signed by several clergymen, they received the conclusion of the examination from the Investigative Committee on November 25 itself. That is, the conclusion was provided by the investigator on the same day the examination was appointed, which clearly shows that it was impossible to conduct an objective examination on that very day. Also, taking into account that the Investigative Committee did not have the right to provide such a conclusion to any other person, including clergymen.

Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, reaffirming his claim that it is impossible to trust investigative bodies carrying out the political orders of the current political power, refuses to visit the Investigative Committee to familiarize himself with the inherently non-objective decision and conclusion from the very beginning.