Ombudsman demands answers on sealed church doors

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Office of the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) plans to request an official clarification concerning the December 6 incident involving the sealing of the doors of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral, commonly known as Yot Verk, in Gyumri.

“An official clarification will be requested, only after which I will be able to answer any questions,” Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan told reporters, as reported by Sputnik Armenia.

She emphasized that a proper assessment of the situation requires not only fact-checking but also a review of the legal grounds for the action.

Manasyan also responded to a question regarding the expulsion of individuals from the church who mentioned the names of Catholicos Garegin II and Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, while allowing someone who referred to the Catholicos as “Ktrich Nersisyan” to remain.

She stressed that public order should always be maintained, but warned against applying double standards to different individuals or groups.

“I don’t want to focus on just one incident. Evaluating such situations involves several considerations, but when different mechanisms are used in similar cases, it clearly indicates double standards. We must absolutely avoid that,” Manasyan said.

On the night of December 6, under the supervision of the NSS director, local clergy sealed the Yot Verk church and vacated the building for several hours. On December 7, for the first time in 200 years, no service was held at Shirak’s main cathedral, and the church bells remained silent.