(MENAFN) Armenian authorities have taken into custody Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, head of the Diocese of Aragatsotn, along with five other clergymen and several additional individuals, amid escalating tensions between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration and the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC).

Attorney Ara Zograbyan first reported the detentions on Facebook, stating he could not confirm the current whereabouts of those arrested. The Armenian Investigative Committee later confirmed that six clergy members are under investigation for alleged abuse of power.

The office of Armenia’s Human Rights Defender, Anahit Manasyan, announced that it had sent a rapid response team to evaluate the situation.

Relations between Pashinyan’s government and the AAC have sharply deteriorated in recent years. Officials have accused senior church leaders of corruption and political meddling, while the church contends that Pashinyan is attempting to weaken a central national institution.

Earlier this month, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan received a two-year prison sentence for allegedly inciting a coup, a case he described as politically motivated. Bishop Proshyan is also the nephew of Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the AAC.

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