Father Paren Arakelyan, spiritual leader of Sagmosavank Monastery, has left the Yerevan city division of Armenia’s Investigative Committee. He declined to answer any questions, only saying: “Everything is fine,” Sputnik Armenia reports.
Lawyer Ara Zohrabyan told reporters that Ter Paren did not provide testimony.
“He insisted on having his lawyer present and has been summoned again for tomorrow with legal representation. He was held inside for quite a long time,” Zohrabyan said.
The lawyer added that his colleagues will continue working on the cases of the other clergy members still under questioning at the Investigative Committee.
Earlier in the day, law enforcement searched the home of Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, head of the Aragatsotn Diocese, before bringing him in for questioning. Alongside the bishop, five priests and several lay staff members were detained. The Investigative Committee later stated the clergy were arrested on suspicion of “materially incentivizing participation in, or refusal to participate in, a gathering.”
Later reports confirmed the number of detained clergy had risen to 11, including Bishop Proshyan.
