Throwing drug into pocket method of work of special institutions

ArmInfo. What happened to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan yesterday is yet another step and attempt toward establishing an absolute dictatorship in Armenia. This  was stated by Artur Khachatryan, a member of the National Assembly of  the Republic of Armenia from the opposition "Armenia" faction, at a  briefing on December 5.

It should be noted that the day before, the Investigative Committee  of the Republic of Armenia announced the initiation of a public  criminal prosecution against Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan under  paragraphs 1 and 4, Part 2, Article 393 of the Criminal Code of the  Republic of Armenia (distribution and sale of narcotics by prior  agreement by a group of persons). Today, the court granted the  prosecution's motion, remanding the cleric in custody. According to  Artur Khachatryan, the accusation brought against the archbishop is  simply ridiculous in its treatment of his own people and the people's  intellect. 

"They are already guided by the principle of 'I do what I want, and  if you don't want it, do what you want.' This is Nikol Pashinyan's  fundamental principle. Initially, they tried to discredit Arshak  Khachatryan, but when that failed, when they realized the archbishop  was strong and powerful, standing alongside the Catholicos of All  Armenians, a more than bizarre and shameful accusation emerged.  "Putting a 'plan' into someone's pocket is a process and method of  operation for special institutions," the opposition leader said,  expressing support for all arrested hierarchs of the Armenian  Apostolic Church and all those political prisoners who fight for  freedom and independence, and the territorial integrity of the  Armenian state.

The day before, Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, head of the chancery  of the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, was arrested in connection with  drug trafficking. According to Archbishop Arsen Babayan, his lawyer,  his client was summoned to the Investigative Committee to testify "in  connection with the infamous video recording." After questioning,  they exited the Investigative Committee's main entrance, where they  were met by National Security Service officers, who stated that they  had received an investigator's order to detain the archbishop. It was  later revealed that the archbishop is accused of planting drugs in  the bag of a protester against His Holiness in 2018, allegedly to  discredit him. A video allegedly depicting Archbishop Arshak with a  woman had also been circulated on pro-government platforms. The video  quality is very poor, and only basic facial features are visible. The  source of the video is still unknown. The clergyman himself has  repeatedly emphasized that he has no connection to the video. Today  the court arrested the archbishop.