Archbishop Arshak jailed for two months

PanARMENIAN.Net - Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, has been placed in two-month pre-trial detention by a court ruling issued by Judge Masis Melkonyan, as reported by Aysor.am .

He was arrested on December 4 at the National Security Service’s building housing the Investigative Committee. Charges have been filed under Article 393, Part 2, Points 1 and 4 of Armenia’s Criminal Code.

“The individual has been subjected to public criminal prosecution under Article 393, Part 2, Points 1 and 4 of the Criminal Code (illegal distribution of narcotics by a group with prior agreement in a public setting),” the Investigative Committee stated.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Archbishop Arshak’s lawyer, Arsen Babayan, said there is no direct testimony against his client.

“I’m going to receive the two-month detention ruling. Any other outcome was out of the question,” Babayan told Auroranews.am . According to him, Archbishop Arshak had anticipated such developments since his earlier press conference.

Earlier, Babayan stated on Facebook: “They claim that in 2018, during one of the protests against the Catholicos, the Archbishop allegedly instructed someone to put narcotics in a participant’s bag to discredit them. The absurdity starts there. The charge of illegal drug distribution, quickly applied, has nothing to do with the alleged facts. Even the investigators themselves now deny the distribution motive, as they say the goal was not to sell drugs, but to discredit someone by placing them somewhere.”