Abbot of Surb Gevorg monastery in Mughni arrested 

ArmInfo.Father Garegin Arsenyan, abbot of the Surb Gevorg (Saint George) Monastery in Mughni, Aragatsotn Province, has been arrested for one month in  connection with a criminal case on charges of coercing participation  in rallies.

According to the cleric's lawyer, Ara Zohrabyan, Arsenyan is accused  of assisting the head of the Artsagatsotn Diocese of the Armenian  Apostolic Church (AAC), Mkrtich Proshyan, in coercing him to  participate in rallies. The court sentenced Proshyan to two months in  custody.

On October 15, it was reported that a group of clergy from the  Aragatsotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) had been  detained. As it later emerged, the clergy were detained based on a  complaint filed by Daniel Ionisyan, head of the NGO "Union of  Informed Citizens," to the country's investigative authorities. The  complaint stemmed from an interview given on September 16 by Aram  Arakelyan, then the abbot of Hovhannavank Monastery. Arakelyan stated  on Public Television that he had been coerced into participating in  opposition rallies in 2021.

A statement from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin announced the  detention of 13 clergy, as well as the diocesan treasurer and  accountant. Meanwhile, the Investigative Committee of Armenia  announced yesterday that it had arrested three individuals in  connection with a criminal case involving coercion to participate in  public meetings, obstruction of the exercise of electoral rights, and  theft of entrusted property on an especially large scale, and that  several searches had been conducted.