The criminal case hearing against Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and others continued at the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, presided over by Judge Karen Farhoyan.
Bagrat Galstanyan’s lawyer, Hovhannes Khudoyan, filed a motion to remove all public prosecutors from the case. He argued that the case files contain clear fabrications.
“Significant parts of the dialogue were removed to present the content in a different context. This was later used in official statements by the Investigative Committee, in interviews given by the head of the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General on Public Television, and in the latter’s National Assembly speeches,” Khudoyan stated, as reported by Panorama.am .
He provided further clarification on the issue.
“Your Honor, I challenge all public prosecutors and request their removal from this proceeding,” said Khudoyan.
In turn, Archishop Bagrat reminded the court that at the very first hearing, he called the prosecutors defamers, not accusers.
“I said from day one that the accusers are not accusers, they are defamers—and there’s a reason for that. I certainly did not make that statement irresponsibly,” he emphasized.
He stated that for three months he has been raising the same three questions to the Prosecutor General and the head of the Investigative Committee, focusing on the political nature of their statements and the contents of the case.
The archbishop questioned whether the case materials included references to “shooting two people and jailing fifteen” or “burning a bus” claims made by officials that, according to him, are unrelated to the case.
He also noted that the prosecutors recently received ranks and medals: “You could at least thank us,” he added.
On the morning of June 25, law enforcement began searches at the residences of supporters of the Sacred Struggle movement. The Investigative Committee stated that members and leaders of the movement had planned to carry out terrorist acts and seize power in Armenia. Later, it was confirmed that the movement’s leader, Archbishop Bagrat, had been arrested.
Eighteen individuals, including Archbishop Bagrat, ARF Supreme Body member Igor Sargsyan, Tavush Diocese press secretary Lidia Mantashyan, Artsakh MP Davit Galstyan, Colonel Mihran Makhsudyan, and others, were arrested on charges of preparing terrorism and an attempted coup. Some of them have since been released on bail or had their detention terms altered.
