Heads of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Overseas Dioceses Call for the Release of Arrested Bishops

Twenty-two hierarchs leading the overseas dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church issued a joint statement expressing concern over the arrest of Archbishops Bagrat Galstanyan and Mikael Ajapahyan. The text of the appeal was published by Sputnik Armenia.

The document emphasizes that placing such high-ranking representatives of the clergy under arrest is an “unusual and disturbing phenomenon.” The authors of the statement insist that the measures taken could have been replaced with alternative restrictions that would allow the bishops to remain free until a court ruling is issued.

“We are convinced that their being at liberty will in no way hinder either the investigative process or the subsequent judicial proceedings,” the representatives of the overseas dioceses stressed.

It should also be recalled that at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II met with representatives of the “Five Human Rights Defenders” initiative. The discussion focused on the increasing pressure by the authorities on the Church, including attempts to change the procedure for electing the Catholicos, the arrests of bishops, and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s loud statements about his intention to lead a movement to remove the Primate.