The Investigative Committee questioned Shahramanian for more than an hour, supposedly as a witness in its continuing inquiry into an alleged coup plot led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian. The latter was arrested in June and went on trial in August along with his 17 supporters also charged with plotting “terrorist acts” in a bid to seize power. They all deny the accusations.
Shahramanian said he is unaware of the reason for the summons as he headed to an Investigative Committee building in Yerevan, His lawyer, Rafael Jahangirian, told reporters afterwards that he is not allowed to give details of the interrogation. He said only that his client is still a witness in the case.
Galstanian publicly met and praised Shahramanian when he led in May-June 2024 massive demonstrations in Yerevan against Pashinian’s unilateral territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Pashinian accused Karabakh leaders at the time of encouraging Karabakh Armenian refugees to participate in the protests. He also renewed his threats to crack down on them.
In the following weeks, the Investigative Committee questioned Shahramanian for at least seven times as part of a criminal investigation stemming from Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military offensive that forced Karabakh’s entire population to flee to Armenia. The committee claimed to be investigating possible “negligence” in the surrender of the Karabakh army’s weaponry to Azerbaijan. It has not charged anyone so far.
Those interrogations began in late May as Shahramanian completed his term in office. Some media outlets reported that the Armenian government is thus pressuring Shahramanian to avoid seeking reelection by Karabakh’s exiled legislature.
The Karabakh leader was summoned to the law-enforcement agency again the day after telling reporters that he has met with Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamian, the head of the exiled Karabakh diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church who joined last week a dozen other bishops in effectively backing Pashinian’s efforts to oust Garegin.
Abrahamian’s unexpected stance has angered many Karabakh Armenians who hold Pashinian responsible for the loss of their homeland and feel that the premier’s campaign against the Catholicos is directed by Azerbaijan. Laymen sitting on a supervisory board of his diocese condemned it in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Shahramanian said vaguely that during the meeting with the Karabakh bishop he “heard his justifications” and “drew my conclusion.” He also said that “the conflict between the current authorities and the church” should not have been made public.
Asked whether he backs calls for Garegin for replace the diocese primate, Shahramanian said: “I will wait until the appropriate decision is made.”