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Lawyer Arsen Babayan claims the Armenian Apostolic Church head does not need an invitation or permission to attend an official ceremony.

Riot police attempted to stop Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and many other clergymen from entering the Sardarapat Memorial on Tuesday as Pashinyan led an official ceremony there to mark the 106th anniversary of the first independent Armenian republic.

Pashinyan told reporters on Wednesday that police officers blocked the entry of Karekin II to the memorial because he had no invitation to attend the ceremony.

In a social media post, Babayan dismissed the premier’s statement as “manipulation”, stating it ran counter to the Armenian legislation.

“Under Articles 3, 10 and 11 of the state protocol law, the Catholicos of All Armenians independently decides whether to attend an official ceremony or not. No invitation or permission may be required for His Holiness,” the lawyer wrote, adding the church leader is superior to the prime minister.

“Thus, the police actions were absolutely illegal, contradicted the law on police and entailed criminal liability,” Babayan stated.