RA Human Rights Defender condemned threats against a priest from  Sisian, who refused to shake hands with t prime minister

ArmInfo. The calls of a group of people to commit violence against the pastor of the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator in Sisian are absolutely inadmissible. RA  Human Rights DefenderArman Tatoyan stated.

"As a result, systematic threats have begun and should be prevented  immediately. First of all, it is dangerous from the point of view of  tolerance and solidarity in society.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has an exceptional mission, it  continues to fulfill an important mission in the life of the Armenian  people, in the preservation of national identity. The role of the  Armenian Apostolic Church in protecting human rights and creating an  atmosphere of solidarity in the country has always been great.

State authorities are obliged to take urgent steps to verify the  information in order to rule out any potential tension and, moreover,  any possible case of violence.  I recently spoke with the Chief of  Police of the Republic of Armenia, who fully assured that the police  will take urgent measures to prevent tension or violence and, in  general, any actions that are beyond the competence of the police,"  the Ombudsman said.

To note, today the Prime Minister of Armenia visited Syunik region,  during the visit the pastor of the local church refused to shake  hands with the Prime Minister. After that, several residents of  Sisian went to the church to deal with the priest. However, they were  met at the entrance to the church by police officers who blocked  their entrance.