Armenia`s former human rights defender issues statement on Sardarapat  incident 

ArmInfo. The head of the "Center for Law and Justice "Tatoyan" Foundation, ex-Ombudsman of Armenia Arman  Tatoyan reported that the day before, at the Sardarapat memorial, "black" and "red" berets tore off the panagia (bishop's breast medallion with the image of the Mother of God) from the Primate of the Artsakh Diocese, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan, pushed the clergy, demonstrated a disrespectful attitude towards the Catholicos of All  Armenians Karekin II and the spiritual fathers.

"After these shameful actions, false information began to spread in  the pro-government media that the Supreme Patriarch allegedly went to  the Sardarapat memorial at that time for the purpose of  provocations," says a statement on Tatoyan's page on the social  network.

Meanwhile, according to Tatoyan, in reality, it was planned that the  Catholicos would visit the memorial after the Liturgy - around 14:30,  since on May 27 the government informed the Mother See of Etchmiadzin  that the official visit of government members was scheduled for  10:00-11:00 am.

The police did not allow the Catholicos' car to enter the parking lot  of the complex, as a result Garegin II and other clergy were forced  to walk to the memorial, but the police blocked their path. In  response to attempts to find out the reason for the barrier, the  police responded that they did not know and demonstrated the above  behavior, the ex-ombudsman said.

"What happened today clearly showed that the attack on the Catholicos  of All Armenians in July 2018 in Gndevank, the blocking of a car and  threats with stones were similar in nature to what happened today:   simply people in civilian clothes were replaced by people in police  uniforms. Thus, a political attempt is being made to belittle the  role of the exceptional historical value of the Holy Armenian  Apostolic Church in the life of the Armenian people," noted Arman  Tatoyan.

On May 28 - the Day of the Battle of Sardarapat and the proclamation  of the First Republic, dozens of policemen blocked the path of the  head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the clergy accompanying  him, trying to prevent him from visiting the Sardarapat memorial  complex. At this time, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was on the  territory of the complex along with President Vahagn Khachaturyan and  Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan.

Later, the Catholicos was still allowed to enter the complex,  however, as a number of media reported, the authorities then removed  the wreath laid at the memorial complex on behalf of the Catholicos.   Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I strictly condemned  the police attempt to prevent the head of the Armenian Apostolic  Church from entering the Sardarapat memorial complex. <The current  process of self-destruction and suicide must be stopped. "Our Church  cannot remain indifferent, seeing the destruction of the Motherland,"  said Aram I.