The brother and nephew of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, Gevorg Nersisyan and Hambardzum Nersisyan, have been detained in Armenia. Harutyun Mkrtchyan, a member of the Republic party, filed a police report, claiming the Nersisyans interfered with his election campaign.
According to lawyer Ara Zohrabyan, the detainees' actions do not constitute a crime, and the incident boils down to a peaceful conversation following Hambardzum Nersisyan's refusal to participate in the Republic party congress.
The incident occurs amid broader tensions between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
In June, Mikael Ajapayan (also known as Mikael Ajapakhyan), Primate of the Shirak Diocese, was detained in Armenia. He was accused of calling for the overthrow of the government and sentenced to two years in prison. An attempt to arrest him led to clashes between security forces and believers. In October, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, nephew of Catholicos Karekin II, was arrested, along with six other clergy and several civilians, on charges of abuse of power while organizing mass events.
