Brother and nephew of Armenian Catholicos arrested for obstructing election campaign

The brother of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, Gevorg Nersisyan, and his nephew, Ambartsum Nersisyan, have been arrested on charges of hooliganism and obstructing an election campaign, Azernews reports, citing Sputnik Armenia.

Lawyer Ara Zohrabyan announced the arrests on Facebook, noting that the incident occurred in the community of Vagharshapat in Armenia’s Armavir region, where local self-government elections are scheduled for November 16.

The controversy reportedly began after Harutyun Mkrtchyan, a candidate from the “Republic” party, claimed on social media that on November 1, Gevorg Nersisyan and his sons disrupted pre-election campaigning activities.

“Today, the investigative body decided to take 68-year-old Gevorg Nersisyan and his son Ambartsum Nersisyan into custody pending arrest. They are accused of hooliganism and obstructing an election campaign,” Zohrabyan stated.