Court grants house arrest to jailed Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan

A court has granted jailed Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, head of the Diocese of Aragatsotn of the Armenian Apostolic Church, house arrest, his lawyer announced on Thursday.

The bishop had been jailed since October 2025 on charges related to election meddling.

At the time, 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 detention followed accusations by a 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 clergymen to attend a pro-opposition rally.

The bishop has denied any wrongdoing.