Armenian Church slams police for odd idleness over demonstrators’ breach into headquarters

YEREVAN, JULY 9, ARMENPRESS. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin has immediately contacted police after protesters demanding the Catholicos to step down breached into the Armenian Church headquarters, but law enforcement agencies did not remove the protesters from the area, Father Asoghik Karapetyan, director of the Mother See’s archive and museum, told a press conference today.

“The Mother See contacted police the very day when the protesters breached into the headquarters,” he said.

He said that police are patrolling the area for security concerns, since it is the residence of the Catholicos.

But police are not removing the protesters from the area, the reason of which is unclear for them, says the Father.

“According to police, they don’t have the right to remove the protesters for various reasons, which is odd and incomprehensible for us, this is a monastery, the Mother See is the property of the Armenian Church, and especially it is the residence of the Catholicos, it isn’t a public area,” he said.

Earlier on July 6, the Mother See said protesters had breached into the headquarters of the church demanding the resignation of the Catholicos. The Mother See said the protesters are acting in a condemnable and unacceptable manner.

The demonstrators refuse to leave the area and even stay overnight in tents. An online video showed that they even transformed the lobby of the headquarters into a cafeteria.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan