An Armenian bishop has been charged with coercing citizens into joining public gatherings, in what the Armenian Apostolic Church denounced as part of a wider crackdown on critics of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, nephew of Church head Catholicos Karekin II, also faces allegations of large-scale theft and obstructing electoral rights, the Investigative Committee said Wednesday. The Church said 12 other clergymen from his diocese were also detained.
In a statement, church leaders condemned the arrest as an attempt to “hinder normal religious activities,” accusing the government of targeting clergy opposed to Pashinyan’s rule.
Proshyan’s arrest follows several recent detentions of senior priests, including Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, jailed in June for allegedly calling for a government overthrow.
Relations between Pashinyan and the Church have worsened since April, when massive protests erupted over Armenia’s decision to hand border villages to Azerbaijan as part of normalization efforts.