The case involving Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six bishops has again been assigned to Judge Serzh Rushanyan following a decision by the Court of Cassation, Panorama.amreports.
Two judges of the Armavir Court of General Jurisdiction, Hakob Manukyan and Serzh Rushanyan, have already declined to hear the case. Manukyan recused himself, saying that attorney Ara Zohrabyan, who is representing a party in the case, had issued his license to practice law. Rushanyan, for his part, ruled that the case should be heard in Yerevan.
Afterward, Vahagn Melikyan, a judge of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, also decided to send the case to the Court of Cassation to determine which court should hear it. As a result, under the Court of Cassation’s decision, the case has “returned” to Rushanyan.
On Feb. 14, it emerged that Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six bishops — Archbishop Natan Hovhannisyan, Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan, Bishop Makar Hakobyan, Bishop Mushegh Babayan, Archbishop Haykazun Najaryan and Bishop Vahan Hovhannisyan — had been charged under an article concerning obstruction of the enforcement of a court ruling related to defrocked Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, former primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Masis Diocese. The clergy were barred from leaving Armenia.
Specifically, Saroyan challenged in court the decision to remove him as diocesan primate. At the same time, he sought an interim measure, asking to be reinstated as diocesan primate until a final judicial ruling was issued. The court granted the motion.
The cleric, however, was not reinstated and was subsequently defrocked. By a decision of Karekin II, another cleric was appointed diocesan primate. The charge in the case was based specifically on this incident.