The pre-trial detention of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a defendant in the “Sacred Struggle” case, has been extended by another three months. The decision was issued by Judge Karen Farkhoyan of the Yerevan Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction, who granted the motion submitted by prosecutor Hayk Hovhannisyan.
Before the hearing, Galstanyan’s lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan stated that keeping the archbishop in a penitentiary facility constitutes disrespect toward Armenia’s law enforcement and justice system. He argued that the charges rely on fabricated evidence and that all defendants in the case were initially detained based on the same false materials. According to Khudoyan, the court has so far avoided examining the existence of reasonable suspicion.
Archbishop Galstanyan was arrested during the night of June 25–26. Investigators claim that the organizers of the “Sacred Struggle” movement planned actions that could be classified as terrorism and aimed at seizing power.
His detention was previously extended on August 21 by a ruling of Judge Karen Farkhoyan.
