Armenian rights lawyer condemns detention of teenager after church altercation

Armenian human rights lawyer Ruben Melikyan on Thursday criticized the detention of 18-year-old David Minasyan, who has been remanded in custody for two months on charges of hooliganism and interfering with the political activities of a public official following an incident at St. Anna Church in Yerevan.

Minasyan was arrested after a Palm Sunday mass attended by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on March 29.

Pashinyan entered the crowded church for a service. As he was leaving, his security detail cleared a path through the attendees. The young man objected to being pushed, told the bodyguards not to look at him aggressively and allegedly attempted to strike the prime minister, a moment that was met with a counter-strike by a security officer.

His twin brother and another man have also been charged as part of the same probe.

Speaking at a parliamentary hearing on state-church relations, Melikyan said the teenager had been unfairly deprived of attending his graduation ceremony and accused officials of publicly celebrating his detention. He argued that it was unclear whether Minasyan’s actions were directed at Pashinyan or at security personnel, and called the charges disproportionate.

Melikyan added that the incident reflected “a lack of respect” for religious spaces, noting that investigators themselves had described Pashinyan’s presence at the church as political activity. He suggested churches might even consider closing their doors during services to avoid similar confrontations.