Father Paren Arakelyan, pastor of Armenia’s Saghmosavank Monastery, has been arrested, and the home of Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, Primate of the Diocese of Aragatsotn of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has been searched, Father Yesayi Artenyan, Director of the Information Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to MediaHub, Father Paren Arakelyan was taken to the department for serious crimes.

The primate of the Diocese of Aragatsotn is the nephew of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

Earlier, during an interview on the Public TV Company of Armenia, Father Aram had stated that he had participated in the rallies by order of his superior—essentially, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan. He had alleged that Father Aram had created problems for his spiritual service and had threatened to defrock him after receiving a call in 2021 from the office of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hakobyan, about organizing a house blessing.

Father Aram’s statement on September 16 in the Public TV studio—that he had participated in the 2021 opposition rallies “not of his own will”—was sent to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia, and then forwarded to the Yerevan City Department of the General Department of Criminal Police for examination of the circumstances mentioned in it.