Lawyer condemns bid to prosecute schoolboys over Armenian church incident

Human rights lawyer Ruben Melikyan sharply criticized the Armenian authorities for seeking criminal charges against schoolboys involved in a March 29 Palm Sunday incident at Saint Anna Church, where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was attending services.

In a video posted on social media on Monday, Melikyan said prosecutors are attempting to apply Article 452 of the Criminal Code, which carries up to five years in prison for interfering with a public official’s lawful service or political activity. He argued that framing the confrontation in political terms is “an insult to churchgoers” and accused police of acting on political orders.

The incident began when a young man in the crowd tried to push closer to Pashinyan, shouting, “I want to stand in the middle.” Security personnel restrained him, but moments later he attempted to strike the prime minister before being subdued by bodyguards.

The Interior Ministry Police later confirmed that three individuals were arrested on suspicion of hooliganism and interfering with an official’s lawful and political activity.

Attorney Lusine Martirosyan said the detained young men were treated as “major criminals” and lawyers were initially blocked from meeting them.