Jailed priest released on bail under house arrest

A priest arrested on suspicion of attempting to meddle in elections has been released on bail by a court under conditions of house arrest, his lawyer said.

The priest, Garegin Arsenyan, is the chancellor of the Diocese of Aragatsotn Province of the Armenian Apostolic Church and pastor of St. Gevorg Church in Mughni.

He was taken into custody earlier in October along with Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, the head of the Diocese of Aragatsotn, and several other clergymen on suspicion of attempting to interfere in elections.

Proshyan and Arsenyan were both placed in pre-trial detention, with Arsenyan receiving a one-month term, unlike Proshyan, who was given a two-month term. Both have denied any wrongdoing. The Investigative Committee said in a statement that it had launched a criminal investigation into the alleged abuse of official power aimed at interfering with citizens’ participation in public assemblies.

The detentions followed accusations by another clergyman serving in the Aragatsotn Diocese, who claimed in a televised interview that Church leadership had attempted to interfere in the 2021 elections by forcing subordinate clergymen to attend a pro-opposition rally.

Priest Garegin Arsenyan’s lawyer, Petros Petrosyan, said on Friday that a court had replaced his jail term with house arrest.