“The 18-year-old twin brothers, David and Mikael Minasyan, arrested after the incident at Yerevan’s St. Anna Church in the presence of Pashinyan, come from a respectable and intelligent family. The young men are in 12th grade, are successful, and are not involved in political activities, as the government propaganda machine tried to portray.
Their grandfather was a statesman, political, and public figure, one of the first secretaries of the Kapan Regional Party Committee during the Soviet years. Rafael Minasyan, after whom one of the city’s central streets is named, and to whom a monument is planned in the city. According to Kapan residents, Minasyan contributed to the prosperity of their city. He later held various positions, including Minister of Housing and Communal Services of the Armenian SSR.
A criminal case has been opened in connection with the incident involving the young men under two articles: hooliganism and interference in the lawful official or political activity of an official. This means that Pashinyan went to church for a service to participate in political activity.