Opposition MP: Archbishop Arshak`s arrest should serve as a signal to  Armenian society to oppose these authorities` outrages

ArmInfo. The arrest of Archbishop Arshak Khachtarian, head of the chancery of the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, should serve as a signal to the Armenian public to  oppose the outrages of the current Armenian authorities, as stated by  Artsvik Minasyan, secretary of the opposition "Armenia" faction in   parliament, to reporters outside the courthouse where a pretrial  detention measure was being decided for Archbishop Arshak. The  opposition figure pointed out that the Armenian people are currently  under the influence of information terrorism and regretfully  acknowledged that opposition forces and media outlets have so far  failed to adequately countered the misinformation spread by the  current Armenian government and its foreign patrons. "One gets the  impression that our society today has a blurred vision of the future.  After all, the public appears indifferent  to the authorities'  attempts to concentrate power by exploiting key attributes of  Armenian statehood," Minasyan noted.

He also mentioned the lack of response from international  organizations to the flouting of universal norms for various narrowly  personal reasons, including claims that "the Armenian authorities are  allegedly fighting Russian influence and, under this pretext,  resorting to anti-democratic methods." "However, the actions of the  Armenian Prime Minister are nothing more than an abuse of power.  According to the Armenian Constitution and legislation, state bodies  and officials cannot carry out actions beyond their responsibilities.  Meanwhile, today we are witnessing abuses of power by the authorities  in all spheres, which should entail criminal liability," the  opposition figure emphasized.

Minasyan believes that the fight against the arbitrary exercise of  power by the current authorities must be pursued in three ways. First  and foremost, he says, it is necessary to utilize the resources  available to diaspora structures, which have influence and are  capable of conveying the truth to global centers.  Furthermore, the  MP believes it is necessary to consolidate the active segment of  Armenian society in a joint fight against these authorities, even in  the conditions of divergent views on certain issues. "Finally, the  third resource must be legal methods and means," Minasyan emphasized,  without going into detail about what he means by this. 

The opposition leader, once again touching on the Armenian  authorities' anti-church campaign, emphasized the unacceptability of  secular authorities' interference in internal church matters. In this  regard, he called on the 10 bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church  who have joined Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's anti-church  campaign not to be instruments of power and not to contribute to a  schism within the Armenian Church. "It is clear that Pashinyan's goal  is not only to replace the Catholicos, but also to eradicate the  Armenian Apostolic Church. Under the current government, neither the  Constitution, nor state protocols, nor laws apply, but everything is  subject to the decisions of one person-the Prime Minister.  This must  be understood within the Church. Church issues should not be resolved  through the methods of political power. After all, if that were the  case, the Armenian Apostolic Church would not have existed for over  1,700 years," Minasyan concluded.