The following clergy of the Aragatsotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church
we inform that yesterday, 24.10.2025. at various times (including late evening, night) through police officers, we were handed over copies of the summonses issued on behalf of Nazeli Sargsyan, the senior investigator of the Yerevan Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee, according to which we must all appear before the investigative body in Yerevan on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 09:00 in the same criminal proceeding. The Aragatsotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church issued a statement about this.
In accordance with the requirements of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, the Law “On Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church” and the Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious
Organizations”, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has the right to perform services and rituals, and the state has no right to interfere in the internal life of the church.
It is a well-known fact that every Sunday the Holy and Immortal Liturgy is served in all operating churches.
Each of us, on October 26, 2025, will serve the Holy Liturgy in the churches of the Aragatsotn region in the morning and will not be able to appear before the investigative body on that day,
since otherwise we will violate our spiritual duties and leave our believers without Holy Communion.
In addition, all of us as witnesses want to appear at the interrogation only with our lawyers, while on a non-working Sunday we will not be able to ensure the presence of lawyers (some of our priests are represented by the same lawyer, which is also an obstacle to participating in the interrogation at the same time). We are not going to give testimony without the presence of a lawyer. These are valid reasons, taking into account which we call on the investigative body to invite us for interrogation on another day, in advance, at least two days in advance, notifying us about the interrogation (the notices were also delivered in violation of this requirement). It is also noteworthy that on these non-working days we do not have the opportunity to submit any documents to the office of the investigative body. At the same time, we express our concern regarding the aforementioned behavior of the Investigative Committee, which is an attempt to leave an entire region without the Holy and Immortal Liturgy. Father Manuk Zeynalyan
Father Sargis Sargsyan
Father Hayk Kocharyan
Father Narek Sargsyan
Father Paren Arakelyan
Father Mushe Vahanyan
Father Hovel Ohanyan
Father Sevak Saribekyan
Father Hambardzum Danielyan
Father Yeghishe Barseghyan
Father Zorayr Karapetyan
Father Ghevond Gapoyan
Father Hayk Sahakyan
Father Vazgen Hovhannisyan
Father Mkrtich Yeranyan
Father Vrtanes Baghalyan
Father Maghakia Gevorgyan
Father Oshin Hayrapetyan
Father Mkhitar Aharonyan
Deacon Artak Safaryan
Deacon Vahagn Stepanyan.