Armenian Court Reviews Arrest in Church Incident Involving PM

| News, Politics, Armenia

A Yerevan court is considering a motion to detain 18-year-old David Minasyan over a March 29 incident involving Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at Saint Anna Church.

Investigators have charged Minasyan with violent hooliganism aimed at interfering with the prime minister’s political activities. His brother, Mikael Minasyan, is accused of assisting in the incident, while public figure Gevorg Gevorgyan faces charges of organizing it.

Mikael Minasyan and Gevorgyan have been released on bail, while the court considers whether to place David Minasyan in pre-trial detention.

The case has been opened under charges of hooliganism and the use of violence to obstruct the official or political duties of a public figure. In total, three individuals, including two school-aged brothers, were detained.

Law enforcement authorities have conducted multiple searches of the suspects’ apartment in Yerevan, though further details have not been disclosed.

The incident has sparked political reactions. Government allies have described the event as an assault on the prime minister, while some observers link it to broader tensions between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Church, including the ongoing dispute involving Catholicos Garegin II.

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