The conflict between the authorities and the church in Armenia has entered a new, more severe stage.

Axar.az reports that the publication of an intimate video of one of the high-ranking clergymen of the Armenian Apostolic Church on social networks - especially on the newly created Telegram channel - has shaken the country.

The head of the General Secretariat of the Patriarchate of Echmiadzin, Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, commented on the spread of the images, saying that the video is fake and that it is a political propaganda stunt by the Pashinyan government:

“This is a banal stunt by the propaganda apparatus of the ruling political force. Including my name in this process is a political order. Save your energy, gentlemen - the moment of responsibility will come, and at that moment your ‘back’ will be fully visible.”

Khachatryan believes that the government has resorted to a war of blackmail and compromising materials to silence the church.

The Ombudsman of Armenia, Anaid Manasyan, has also weighed in on the issue, calling on state authorities to urgently investigate the violation of privacy:

“The illegal collection and dissemination of personal data is a violation of both constitutional rights and fundamental human freedoms. Such actions entail legal liability.”

The Ombudsman has called the systematic release of secret recordings and wiretaps to the media in recent days a dangerous trend.