The court hearing in the “Holy Struggle” case was held behind closed doors. Before the discussion of the preventive measure, the defense attorney of defendant Arman Israelyan submitted medical documents. The public prosecutor proposed that the hearing be closed in order to review the documents and present information regarding the health condition, Panorama.am reports.
Defense lawyer Vahagn Hakobyan emphasized that the materials concern the health problems of both his client and his client’s son.
A five-minute recess was announced, and court bailiffs were instructed to ensure the closed nature of the session.
During the first recess of the hearing, defendants National Assembly MP Artur Sargsyan, Lidia Mantashyan, and Movses Sharbatyan staged a small action, waving a purple flag with the inscription “Holy Struggle” above their heads.
Bishop Bagrat also joined the action.
Many defense attorneys were not present at the hearing. One of the colleagues informed that lawyer Ruben Melikyan had attended the session but urgently left due to medical issues that arose at the hospital involving one of his clients, Narek Samsonyan.
Bishop Bagrat has been charged on the grounds that within the framework of the movement he initiated and led, called “Holy Struggle,” over several months starting in November 2024, he aimed to achieve a change of power by means prohibited by the Constitution. According to the accusation, by prior agreement, members of the group acquired tools and means necessary for terrorist acts and the seizure of power, and deliberately created conditions for preparing to usurp authority.
