Criminal charges filed against Archbishop Arshak

PanARMENIAN.Net - Public criminal proceedings have been initiated against Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, according to Armenia’s Investigative Committee.

“The public criminal prosecution was initiated during the preliminary investigation under Article 393, Part 2, Points 1 and 4 of the Criminal Code—illegal distribution of narcotics by a group of persons by prior agreement, in a public setting,” 1lurer.am reports.

Khachatryan had previously been detained. His lawyer, Arsen Babayan, clarified that the detention has nothing to do with the widely circulated video, Panorama.am notes.

“The arrest of Archbishop Arshak is not related to the well-known video. Please don’t call me now. I’m in the middle of the arrest procedure. I will provide further clarification later,” he stated.

Earlier, during a press conference, Archbishop Arshak said he had been invited to several meetings with National Security Service (NSS) representatives regarding his political views.

“I was not summoned by the NSS. There were no official notices, just invitations to meetings, and we met. During these meetings, they shared their positions. There were hints about carrying out certain actions,” he said.

He further added: “The current leader of the country wants to have controllable, obedient clergy who will serve his interests in the spiritual domain and not oppose his political agenda. It is impossible to accept the policies being implemented today—they carry numerous risks and threats. We have spoken out about this. It is impossible to agree with a political group that systematically promotes the abandonment of historical memory.”