Priest Garegin Arsenyan has been placed under house arrest.

The head of the chancery of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Garegin Arsenyan, arrested on charges of coercion to participate in public meetings, has been placed under house arrest for two months.

As reported by Caucasian Knot, the head of the Aragatsotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, and priest Garegin Arsenyan were arrested on charges of coercion to participate in public meetings. Mkrtich Proshyan is the nephew of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II.

Priest Ter Garegin Arsenyan, spiritual pastor of the Surb Gevorg Church in Mughni and secretary of the Aragatsotn Diocese, has been released from a penal institution, Amnews reported today, citing his lawyer, Petros Petrosyan.

According to the lawyer, the appellate criminal court partially upheld the appeal, and Arsenyan was placed under house arrest for two months.

"We will do everything to achieve an acquittal, as there is no evidence to support the charges against him," the defense attorney noted.

The open confrontation between the Armenian authorities and church representatives has been ongoing for several months. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sharply criticized the church at a government meeting on May 29. On June 27, security forces detained Mikael Ajapayan (also referred to in the media as Mikael Ajapakhyan), head of the Shirak Diocese, on charges of calling for the seizure of power. Ajapayan was later sentenced to two years in prison.

In early November, Karekin II's brother and nephew were arrested, accused of obstructing election campaigning in the Vagharshapat community.