Homes of Archbishop Arshak’s relatives searched

PanARMENIAN.Net - On December 9, Armenian law enforcement conducted searches at the homes of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan’s uncle and cousin, lawyer Arsen Babayan told Factor.am .

He stated that the searches were conducted simultaneously, without allowing the individuals to call their lawyers. All phones and computers were reportedly seized.

The searches are linked to a criminal case launched after the publication of intimate videos allegedly featuring Archbishop Arshak. The case falls under Article 204, Part 3, Clause 2 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, which concerns violating the privacy of personal or family life through secret collection of information using technical means.

“Technically, the archbishop is the victim in this case. Authorities are investigating under the assumption that someone invaded his privacy. So why burden or drag his relatives into this? It’s clearly an attempt to pressure both him and his family,” Babayan said.

He added that even the phones of the archbishop’s uncle’s daughter and sons were seized.

The intimate videos, allegedly showing Archbishop Arshak, first surfaced on the Armenian WikiLeaks Telegram channel on October 25. Although the channel was later blocked for violating Telegram’s rules, the videos had already circulated on other platforms.