"Zhoghovurd" daily writes:
"Zhoghovurd" daily learned that the Investigative Committee applied to the court with a petition to extend the detention of Naira Alaverdyan, the 60-year-old accountant of the Aragatsotn Diocese. The terms of detention of Aragatsotn diocese leader Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan and Aragatsotn diocese diplomat Ter Garegin priest Arsenyan are also coming to an end, and it is not excluded that the pre-investigative body will either declare the end of the preliminary investigation in criminal proceedings and send the case to court, or extend the terms of detention.
It should be reminded that the law enforcement officers conducted a search in the early morning of October 15 at the house of Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, leader of Aragatsotn Diocese, and then detained him. Besides the bishop, 12 priests of the diocese of Aragatsotni were also detained: Paren priest Arakelyan, Hayk Kocharyan, Baptist priest Yeranyan, Manuk priest Zeynalyan, Ghevond priest Gapoyan, Hayk Sahakyan, Sargis Sargsyan priest, Garegin priest Arsenyan, Narek Sargsyan priest, Oshin priest Hayrapetyan, Vrtanes priest Baghalyan, Hambardzum priest Danielyan, Aragatsotni priest the accountant, treasurer and clerk of the diocese.
According to the RA Investigative Committee, the clerics were detained on suspicion of having material interest in order to participate or refuse to participate in the gathering. The criminal proceedings were initiated on the basis of Aram Asatryan, priest of Aragatsotn Diocese, on the air of the Public TV Company (Asatryan said that the leader of the diocese forced him and other priests to participate in opposition protests in 2021).
Daniel Ioannisyan, the president of the "Union of Conscious Citizens" NGO, appealed to the RA General Prosecutor's Office, drawing attention to the priest's statements. The Mother See responded to the incident by declaring that it is not possible to suppress the clergy and the religious people with conspiracies, threats and repressions.
Details in today's issue of "Zhoghovurd" daily.
