On June 25, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, a session of the Supreme Spiritual Council was convened at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The Supreme Spiritual Council issued the following statement:
STATEMENT
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin expresses deep concern regarding the actions taken today by law enforcement agencies against Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and his supporters, as well as the grave charges brought against them.
Public trust in the legal process is undermined by the fact that, from the outset, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and various representatives of the ruling party have sought—through public statements with evident political intent — to direct the actions of law enforcement authorities.
Equally deplorable is the deliberate attempt to artificially associate this legal process with the Church and to exploit the name of the Mother See—an approach that fits squarely within the broader context of the anti-Church campaign initiated by the current authorities.
The Mother See will pursue justice through all lawful means and calls upon the relevant authorities to refrain from political manipulation and to act in full accordance with the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Armenia, upholding the principle of the presumption of innocence.
