Law enforcement authorities examining report on Armenian Apostolic Church, says prime minister
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Law enforcement authorities are examining the published report on the Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a question-and-answer session with the government in the National Assembly, responding to a question from MP Ruzanna Yeremyan.
The MP asked about the authorities’ response to cases of alleged sexual harassment of a minor and self-mutilation described in the report, asking whether they were being examined and would be subject to a legal assessment.
“To be honest, I cannot say whether a criminal case has been opened, but I know that our law enforcement authorities are examining the report. And I am confident that wherever there are grounds to open a criminal case, they will do so. That is all; I cannot say anything else,” Pashinyan said.
The prime minister stressed that the information presented in the report was based on testimony referring to a specific person, time, incident and circumstances. He said the requirement for a response from law enforcement authorities arose from Armenian legislation.
On 24 September, the Centre for Public Relations and Information of the Prime Minister’s Office published a report entitled “On the Crisis in the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church Resulting from the Activities of Its De Facto Head and a Number of Senior Clergy, and Ways to Resolve It”. According to the document, it was prepared at the prime minister’s instruction using information available in open sources.