The defense team of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, plans to appeal the court’s decision to extend his pre-trial detention by two months. The announcement was made by his attorney, Arsen Babayan, following the court session, as reported by Aysor.am .
Addressing claims that evidence had gone missing in the case, Babayan said the lead investigator denied such reports, stating that no evidence had been lost.
He criticized the court’s ruling as a continuation of pressure against the church, noting that visitation rights have also been restricted. Currently, only the archbishop’s sister’s children are allowed to visit him.
Archbishop Arshak was arrested by the National Security Service on December 4 inside the Investigative Committee building. His formal detention began on December 5. He faces public criminal charges for allegedly distributing narcotics in collaboration with others, based on prior agreement.
