The prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office of Malatia-Sebastia administrative districts reconsidered the materials of the criminal case initiated on demonstrating disrespectful behavior against the Armenian Church and the Armenian society and decided to change the charge brought against A. Makvetsyan and to bring a new charge against him.

It was announced about this decision on October 21 during the Court session. Taking into consideration the public interest, the content of the decision is presented below.

Thus, on May 15, 2011, at about 09:00 a.m. the priest of Holy Trinity Church Ter Yesayi Artenyan noticed that Jehovah's Witnesses A. Makvetsyan and S. Grigoryan were preaching two citizens in the church yard. The priest approached them and asked to leave the territory of the church.

According to the materials of the criminal case, A. Makvetsyan and S. Grigoryan refused to leave the church yard and had a quarrel with Ter Yesayi Artenyan. Seeing that they didn't leave the priest tried to record their preaching with his cell phone. But A. Makvetsyan seized the priest's cell phone, hit his arm and threatened him. Based on the evidence obtained during the preliminary investigation A. Makvetsyan was charged according to the RA Criminal Code Articles 118, 137, part 1 and 322, part 1.

However, it was stated during the trial that the accused A. Makvetsyan committed other crimes as well, that is he expressed hatred against the Armenian Church and broke citizen Pargev Badoyan's right to profess the Armenian Apostolic Church as well as the priest Ter Yesayi Artenyan's right to prevent the actions of the Jehovah's Witnesses to involve the followers of his religion into their religious organization.

A. Makvetsyan hit Ter Yesayi Artenyan, took his phone illegally and threatened him, brought significant damage to P. Badoyan's and Ter Yesayi Artenyan's legal interests and thus violated Article 8.1 of the RA Constitution.

In the Court the prosecutor made a decision to bring a new charge against A. Makvertsyan according to the RA Criminal Code Articles 118, 137, part 1, 322, part 1 and 143, part 1 that is direct or indirect breach of the human rights and freedoms of citizens, for reasons of the citizen’s nationality, race, sex, language, religion, political or other views, social origin, property or other statuses, which damaged the citizen’s legal interests.