The Yerevan court found Archbishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church, head of the Shirak Diocese, Mikael Ajapaxyan guilty of publicly calling for the seizure of power and sentenced him to two years in prison. According to the Armenian press, the prosecutor requested two and a half years, but the court granted a shorter period.
According to the charges, the priest publicly called for "seizing power" while expressing strong dissatisfaction with the government's policies. Ajapaxyan completely denied these accusations, calling the case a "fabrication." His lawyers, assessing the process as politically motivated, promise to appeal it.
On June 26, it was announced that the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia had initiated a criminal case against the archbishop: calls for seizure of power and the violent overthrow of the constitutional order through the media and ICT. The next day, security forces attempted to detain the priest, and a dispute arose with some church representatives. After that, Ajapaxyan went to the Investigative Committee himself and was arrested on June 28.
At the same time, it was reported that the security service has also arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan of the Diocese of Tavous, suspected of attempting a coup. The opposition considers these steps as suppressing the voice of those criticizing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The condemnation of the ecclesiastical figure fueled new debates around state-religion relations, political activism, and freedom of speech. So far, the verdict has not entered into legal force: the parties have the right to review the decision in the appellate procedure. At the same time, the archbishop is considered not guilty until the charges in the case are proven in court.
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