Lawyer: detained students not politically affiliated

PanARMENIAN.Net - Two schoolboys detained after an incident at Saint Anna Church remain in a detention facility and currently hold the status of detainees. No charges have yet been brought against them. This was stated by lawyer Lusine Martirosyan, Panorama.am reports.

She also emphasized that “the boys are not members or supporters of any party or political force.”

When asked whether it is possible that no charges will be filed, the lawyer said she is not optimistic, considering the manner of the detention and the subsequent wave of hate speech.

“In light of yesterday’s actions and apparent violations, I have no such expectation. If you followed the detention process, they are 18-year-old school students with serious health issues, and under those conditions, they are being held in a detention facility.

We are talking about exceptionally high-achieving students—you should see their commendations and certificates; it is hard to imagine the level of these children. I don’t know whether it is pro-government media or others, but there are claims that they were at the church that day on behalf of some party or political force. I officially state that these children are not members or supporters of any political force. They are Christian believers who attended Sunday liturgy regularly, and that day they were at the Palm Sunday service,” the lawyer said, noting that prayer books can be seen in their hands in the footage.

She stressed that the boys are currently preparing for university entrance exams and will soon have their graduation ceremony.

They are strictly raised, yet since this morning, the lawyer has received various publications containing hate speech and calls for violence against them.

“In this country, the Human Rights Defender is asleep somewhere, it is like an LLC belonging to someone,” the lawyer said.

On March 29, an incident was recorded during a liturgy at Saint Anna Church in Yerevan. As the prime minister was leaving through a dense crowd, one person told a bodyguard clearing the way, “don’t look at me like that.” Another individual from behind the line attempted to strike toward Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Pashinyan instructed his bodyguards to remain calm. Detentions took place in the church courtyard.

After the incident, while walking with his team, Pashinyan stated that some of those making noise were members of the Republican Party of Armenia, while others were from the Sasna Tsrer group.