The violations recorded in the investigation of Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan’s case, according to his lawyer, are so extensive that they could serve as material for a legal textbook.
“There were so many breaches of criminal procedure in this case that one could literally write a textbook—starting with interference by the Prosecutor General during the pre-trial phase and ending with the Ministry of Emergency Situations breaking through a door with a battering device. That’s an entire package of violations that defies legal classification. Specifically, Mr. Sargsyan rightly asked: who authorized the emergency personnel to intervene, and under what procedures? The door wouldn’t open, so they used force,” said defense attorney Marine Farmanyan, as reported by Panorama.am .
She added that even the identity of the person recording the search was never clarified, which raised additional legal concerns.
“None of the participants’ rights or duties were clarified. Instead, they were simply instructed to follow directions. What else is there to say? That’s how it was. You saw during the searches—computers were supposedly seized, but it’s unclear where they came from or whether they belonged to the Archbishop at all. Objectively, that raises questions: what was taken? A DVR was supposedly seized, but it turned out to be an antenna-related device. One could go on endlessly about these procedural violations. I don’t think we’ve ever seen this volume of misconduct in a single case,” Farmanyan emphasized.
On June 27, officers from Armenia’s National Security Service entered the courtyard of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to arrest Archbishop Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese, but withdrew. He later appeared voluntarily before the Investigative Committee. On June 28, he was arrested. A criminal case has been filed against him for making public calls “to seize power, undermine territorial integrity, renounce sovereignty, or overthrow the constitutional order by force.”
