Coup-accused Armenian cleric placed under house arrest

Armenian Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan has been transferred from detention to house arrest following a ruling by the Court of Appeal, which partially granted a motion filed by his defence lawyer, Hovhannes Khudoyan.

The court imposed restrictions on Galstanyan, prohibiting him from communicating with other individuals involved in the criminal case against him, Sputnik Armenia reports.

In a parallel development, a lower court ruled during a hearing on the same day that Galstanyan would be permitted to travel to the town of Ijevan, where he is officially registered, for a period of seven hours in order to participate in voting on June 7.

Galstanyan, the leader of the Holy Struggle movement, had been held in custody since late June of last year. Armenian authorities have charged him with preparing a coup d’état.

By Vafa Guliyeva