Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan did not provide a clear response to the question of whether the rights of Catholicos of All Armenians Кareкin II have been violated.
During a briefing after the government meeting, a journalist asked whether, for the Ombudsperson as well — like in the case of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his team — Кareкin II is not considered Catholicos, Sputnik Armenia reported.
“I have addressed this question many times. I am the Human Rights Defender and I have no authority to recognize or not recognize anyone as the head of the Church or a religious organization. I protect their rights and deal with the protection of rights,” Manasyan said.
The journalist also asked whether, taking into account the statements of the head of the executive branch and the initiated criminal case, the rights of His Holiness have been violated, and whether a meeting between the Ombudsperson and Кareкin II is planned.
“I have spoken about this issue many times, specifically emphasizing the importance of respecting the autonomy of religious organizations. This is not the first time I am expressing this position, especially in connection with the recent events related to the initiation of criminal proceedings on the grounds of failure to comply with a judicial act and criminal prosecution. I have also specifically noted that although we are currently dealing with a judicial act, and we are all to some extent limited in presenting much harsher assessments on the matter,” she said.
On February 14, it became known that criminal prosecution had been initiated against His Holiness on charges of obstructing the execution of a judicial act related to the former head of the Masis Diocese, defrocked Arman Saroyan. A travel ban preventing him from leaving the country was also imposed.
