"Unfortunately, Judge Melkonyan has decided to detain him for a period of two months. Moreover, they limited contacts with relatives. We have 10 days to appeal the decision, which we intend to do," Zohrabyan said, News.Az reports, citing TASS.
The lawyer stressed that the court's decision was groundless and illegal, and accused the judge of bias. "There is no corpus delicti, there is absolutely none," Zohrabyan added. He also believes that the archbishop will be moved from the courtroom to the Nubarashen correctional institution.
He promised to release a recording from the court session after completion of the proceedings to "demonstrate the ongoing judicial disgrace."
On Friday morning, masked security forces broke into the building of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Gyumri to search it. At that time Archbishop Mikael had already left for the residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians in Vagharshapat, also known as Etchmiadzin for a meeting of the clergy. On June 26, the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case against him on charges of calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order.
