Armenian Church leader’s brother jailed

Gevorg Nersisyan, the brother of Catholicos Karekin II, has been placed in pre-trial detention for one month on charges of obstructing election campaigning, investigators announced on Monday.

Nersisyan’s son, Hambardzum Nersisyan, the Catholicos’ nephew, is facing the same charges. The court has yet to issue a verdict as investigators are also seeking to keep him in detention pending trial.

According to the Investigative Committee, Gevorg and Hambardzum Nersisyan are indicted under Article 211 of the Criminal Code: “Forcing someone to engage in campaigning or to refrain from engaging in campaigning, or otherwise obstructing them from carrying out campaigning.”

Lawyer Ara Zohrabyan said that investigators have filed a motion with the court to place both men in pre-trial detention without bail.

The case comes amid an election campaign in Vagharshapat, also known as Etchmiatsin, ahead of the city council elections on November 16.

Harutyun Mkrtchyan, a candidate for the local city council running with the Republic (Hanrapetutyun) party, accused Nersisyan and his son of obstructing the campaign on November 1.

Zohrabyan argued that their actions do not constitute a crime.

“This is what happened: On November 1, around 2:40 p.m., Hambardzum was standing in front of his house when a man approached him and invited him to attend the Republic party’s meeting at 4:00 p.m. Hambardzum refused, and the man tried to persuade him. They spoke for a while, after which Hambardzum’s father, Gevorg Nersisyan, joined them. The three spoke together and then parted peacefully,” Zohrabyan said.