Another victim of the anti-church movement. Ter Asoghik was arrested

YEREVAN - June 14, 2025 According to our reliable information, Ter Asoghik Abegha Karapetyan, director of the Museums and Archives of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, was brought to the RA Investigative Committee this morning. According to our source, the interrogation of Father Asoghik in the Investigative Committee lasted for about 6 hours, after which a petition was submitted to apply his arrest as a preventive measure. For now, the investigative committee does not comment on why the spiritual father was detained and interrogated and what accusations they are going to bring. Marine Farmanyan, the defender of the cleric's interests, told us that even she could not contact her client and find out all the circumstances of the case. To our question about what hypotheses he has and why he considers it possible that the Reverend Father may have been detained, the defense attorney answered, "I don't think such a development was a surprise for anyone, if we take into account how Reverend Asoghik responded to the RA Prime Minister's qualifications and unacceptable expressions directed at the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholicos of All Armenians." A few days ago, the clergyman made a harsh comment and announced that churchmen, from the humblest servant to the highest rank, will not allow to attack the Mother See and raise a sword against His Holiness. "There are no Judases in the Armenian Church to be sold and accompany the crowd against the Lord's Anointed One. Every servant in the Armenian Church is an apostle, ready to be martyred," Father Asoghik emphasized. Let's remind that the Prime Minister of RA recently criticized the state of the churches during the government session, calling them "destroyed and full of garbage". Pashinyan's statement was strongly reacted to by Father Asoghik, director of museums and archives of the Mother See, archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan, leader of the Shirak Diocese, Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, diplomat of the Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See. Later in the evening, it became known that the petition was granted and Ter Asoghik was arrested. We learned about this from the lawyer of the cleric, Marine Farmanyan. "All clergymen who spoke out against the desecration of our church will obviously face the same fate as Mr. Asoghik. I have no doubt that in the coming days we will hear that they will also be arrested," Farmanyan concluded.