Armenian bishops summoned as suspects in probe, lawyer says

Members of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Supreme Spiritual Council who are bishops have been summoned as suspects to appear before Armenia’s Investigative Committee, a lawyer said on Saturday.

In a social media post, Ara Zohrabyan said police had began delivering summonses to the bishops since Saturday morning, ordering them to appear for questioning at the Investigative Committee later in the day.

According to Zohrabyan, the bishops are accused of obstructing the enforcement of a court ruling.

Zohrabyan said the move amounted to interference in the church’s internal affairs and was aimed at preventing a planned assembly of bishops.

“I regret that the head of the Investigative Committee has deviated from his mission and is putting many conscientious investigators within the system in a difficult position,” Zohrabyan added.