Armenian cleric detained for one month

Fr. Garegin Arsenyan, the chancellor of the Aragatsotn Diocese and a pastor of St. Gevorg Church in Mughni, has been detained for one month for allegedly assisting Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, the diocesan leader, according to attorney Ara Zohrabyan.

Earlier on Wednesday, Armenia’s Investigative Committee and National Security Service conducted searches at the diocesan headquarters and residences of several clerics and lay employees. Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan has been remanded in custody for two months.

The diocesan chief accountant’s detention will be reviewed soon, while other detained clergymen have been released and questioned only as witnesses.

The investigation stems from another Aragatsotn priest’s recent allegations that he was forced to attend opposition rallies in 2021. 

The Armenian Apostolic Church linked the detentions to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s campaign against top clerics.