"Zhoghovurd" daily writes:
"On October 15, law enforcement agencies arrested the leader of Aragatsotn Diocese, Mkrtich Bishop Proshyan, 12 clergymen of the diocese, as well as three administrative employees of the diocese: the accountant, the treasurer and the referee. Some of them were later released, and some are under arrest. For a long time after the incident, the whereabouts of several clergymen, Fr. Hambardzum, Fr. Narek, Fr. Sargis, Fr. Oshin and the leader of Aragatsotn Diocese, Mkrtich Bishop Proshyan, were unknown. Priest Paren Arakelyan, the spiritual pastor of Saghmosavank, was also arrested. three of the above-mentioned clerics are still under arrest.
At the moment, the appeals of arrest decisions are in the RA Court of Appeals, where interesting developments are expected. "Zhoghovurd" daily found out in a conversation with the lawyers that the arrest of the clergy is based on completely baseless accusations. According to the lawyers, this means that the Court of Appeals should change the detention decisions by applying other means of disruption, because otherwise the ongoing processes cannot be called legal.
Let's remind that the other day during the budget hearings in the National Assembly, Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan stated that there are currently more detainees than convicts in RA. This proves that people are often taken into custody with unproven guilt, and only after that the trial begins, during which many cases end with acquittals or the release of detainees.
Human rights defenders and lawyers express hope that the Court of Appeal will take into account the lack of legal grounds for detention and make a fair and proportionate decision.
Details in today's issue of "Zhoghovurd" daily.
