Law enforcement authorities continue to carry out special operations at the Aragatsotn Diocese headquarters, where additional specialized equipment has been brought in. With the help of this machinery, Ministry of Internal Affairs rescue workers are opening sealed storage compartments within the diocesan compound, Panorama.am reports.
From a distance, a citizen was heard shouting, “May you sink into the ground, be cursed! Desecrators!”
The doors of the diocesan headquarters and affiliated churches remain closed.
On October 15, eleven clergy from the Aragatsotn Diocese, including Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, were detained. According to the Investigative Committee, the detentions are part of a criminal investigation into allegations of coercing or obstructing participation in public assemblies.
The criminal case was initiated based on televised comments by priest Aram Asatryan, who claimed that the bishop had forced him and other clergy to attend opposition rallies in 2021. Daniel Ioannisyan, head of the Union of Informed Citizens NGO, submitted a formal request to the Prosecutor General, urging attention to the priest’s statements.
