Hraparak daily of Armenia writes as follows: Discussions have been underway in the Mother See[of Holy Etchmiadzin] for several days: how to ensure that the Bishops' Synod scheduled for February 16-19 in Austria is not disrupted, which [PM] Nikol Pashinyan is striving for with all his strength and the 10 betrayers [i.e. the bishops who stand with Pashinyan]. Yesterday it became known that six bishops and one priest of the Mother See  have ended up in the status of defendants.

The bishops are accused of obstructing the execution of a judicial act, and the judicial act concerns the reinstatement of the defrocked Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, the former Primate of the Diocese of Masis [of the Armenian Apostolic Church], who was defrocked on January 27 by order of His Holiness [Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II]. A travel ban has been imposed against them as a pretrial measure.

The spiritual wing does not provide details about whether the synod will take place or not, as there is information that the NSS [i.e. the National Security Service of Armenia] continues the brutal pressures; they are even transmitting to the Mother See threat-messages to arrest the His Holiness.