150 lawsuits will be filed for slander and insults against those arrested in Armenia

YEREVAN /ARKA/ — Hovhannes Khudoyan, the lawyer for the arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, said that 150 lawsuits will be filed in civil court for slander and insults against those arrested in the Sacred Struggle movement case.

“The first batch of lawsuits will be filed at the end of this week. People are claiming that terrorism and attempted terrorism took place, disregarding the presumption of innocence and all doubts. All of this is accompanied by offensive statements,” Khudoyan said at a press conference on Wednesday.

He added that the statements made by MPs, ministers, and mid-level officials, as well as experts and propagandists, are aggressive and full of profanity.

“These are claims that must be addressed. These trials will last more than a year, and in all likelihood, these individuals will not have support after the 2026 elections,” said Khudoyan.

On June 26, the Investigative Committee of Armenia reported the arrest of 15 leaders and participants of the Sacred Struggle movement. They are accused of organizing terrorist attacks and attempting to seize power in the country.

Those arrested include the movement’s leader, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan; two other clergymen; David Galstyan, a former member of the Artsakh parliament; retired Colonel Migran Makhsudyan; and Dashnaktsutyun member Igor Sargsyan.