A number of priests have been detained under unclear circumstances. Currently, the Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, His Holiness Mkrtich, has essentially disappeared, meaning he has fallen outside the scope of legal protection as a result of state actions. The state refuses to disclose his whereabouts, and we are currently trying to locate him. Lawyer Armine Fanyan stated this in a conversation with journalists.
“I will say that when a person falls outside the scope of legal protection, it is a crime. We have been here for so long; a search was conducted, and His Holiness left with the investigator who conducted the search, accompanied by the investigator, likely to be taken to the pretrial investigation agency, but his whereabouts are currently unknown,” she noted.
When asked about the basis for these actions, the lawyer said he likely referred to Father Aram’s conversation with Petros Ghazaryan, given that priests from the Aragatsotn Diocese are also being detained.
“The doors of the investigative body are locked. The lawyers are even trying to enter. We have questions, but the doors are locked. Some priests have left, received summonses for questioning, and currently, according to our information, one priest is inside, but the priests say there are others who are not there. In addition to the bishop, several secular employees have also been detained,” Fanyan added.
As a reminder, we previously reported that the Yerevan Investigative Committee is holding priests Father Paren, Father Manuk, Father Hayk, Father Mkrtich, Father Ghevond, as well as the primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan.