Investigators confirm bishop Arshak in leaked video
Panarmenian.net
The Investigative Committee of Armenia has confirmed that Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chancellor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, is the person appearing in recently circulated videos that allegedly violate his privacy.
The confirmation came via forensic facial and voice analysis ordered as part of a criminal investigation, according to Shiraz Grigoryan, head of the Cybercrime and High-Tech Crimes Division, as reported by RFE/RL.
The forensic conclusion was forwarded to one member of the church’s internal commission reviewing the footage, citing legal relevance to the committee’s interest. However, Arshak Khachatryan’s legal team argues that this violates due process, as the findings were allegedly released on the same day the analysis was commissioned, November 25, raising doubts about the investigation’s objectivity.
Lawyer Arsen Babayan announced on Facebook that Archbishop Arshak will not attend the Investigative Committee to review the report, claiming several procedural breaches. These include failure to inform him in advance, denial of his right to pose questions to the experts, and exclusion from participating in the examination process.
The archbishop’s legal team insists that the committee had no right to provide the report to third parties, including clergy members. They argue that Arshak was deprived of legal rights guaranteed under Armenia’s criminal procedure code.
Arshak Khachatryan maintains that the investigation is politically driven and claims it is impossible to trust authorities acting under government instructions.
A group of senior Armenian Apostolic Church clerics, including archbishops and bishops, have accused Catholicos Karekin II of concealing the incident and failing to hold Arshak Khachatryan accountable. They also alleged the Catholicos had violated his sacred oath. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with them and expressed support for their position.
