The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has issued a statement harshly condemning the December 4 arrest and pre-trial detention of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See, describing the charges as fabricated and groundless.

“This action is a manifestation of the recent wave of repression against the Church and part of the ongoing political persecution of clergy. The arrest of high-ranking clergy on trumped-up charges reflects the authorities’ anti-church policies and rhetoric of hatred toward church figures,” the statement reads.

Etchmiadzin demands the immediate cessation of the unlawful persecution of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan and other detained clergymen, and calls for the restoration of their violated rights.