Judge Serzh Rushanyan has accepted the case of His Holiness the Patriarch and six bishops for consideration; a court hearing has been scheduled.

Judge Serzh Rushanyan of the General Jurisdiction Court of Armavir Region has accepted the case of His Holiness the Patriarch and six bishops for consideration. The Judicial Department reported that the court session was scheduled for August 28 at 4:30 p.m., writes Pastinfo.

“It should be noted that the case was initially assigned to Judge Hakob Manukyan. The latter recused himself, explaining that he was granted a lawyer’s license by the defense attorney in the mentioned case, Ara Zohrabyan.

Let us recall that criminal prosecution was initiated against His Holiness the Patriarch within the framework of criminal proceedings for alleged failure to execute a judicial act in the case of Arman Saroyan. In particular, the former Primate of the Masyatsotn Diocese, now deposed Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, under his pen name Arman Saroyan, filed a lawsuit against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, demanding that the pontifical decree of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on his dismissal from the position of Primate of the Masyatsotn Diocese be recognized as invalid and, as a result, his position as Primate of the Masyatsotn Diocese be restored. The lawsuit was accepted for proceedings by Judge Edgar Hovhannisyan of the General Jurisdiction Court of Armavir Region. The latter also granted the motion to apply security for the lawsuit, temporarily restoring the bishop to the position of Primate of the Masyatsotn Diocese until the final judicial act on the case is issued.

After this decision, law enforcement officers initiated criminal proceedings for allegedly failing to comply with the judicial act, as a result of which criminal prosecutions were initiated against the members of the Supreme Spiritual Council, and their exit from the Republic of Armenia was prohibited. On February 14, it became known that criminal prosecution had also been initiated against His Holiness the Patriarch, and a preventive measure of absence was also applied to him.

Moreover, law enforcement officers applied these preventive measures in anticipation of the Bishops’ Assembly in Austria, trying to overthrow it. Nevertheless, the Bishops’ Assembly took place,” the website writes.