Clergymen confront NSS officers to prevent Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan's arrest

Tensions ran high near the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on Friday as law enforcement officers attempted to arrest Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan of the Shirak Diocese.

The confrontation quickly escalated when clergymen formed a human shield to block National Security Service (NSS) agents from reaching the archbishop, leading to physical altercations. A journalist felt sick, requiring medical attention.

Mikayel Ajapahyan is accused of making public calls for the usurpation of power.