Armenian Archbishop Convicted in Politically Charged Trial for Defaming Armenian Prime Minister Many Times and for Sedition
questo articolo di Carlo Coppola si trova nella versione italiana al seguente link:
Court Finds Senior Cleric Guilty of Calling for Power Seizure as Church-State Relations Deteriorate
Yerevan's Court of First Instance has found Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, guilty of making "public calls for the seizure of power in Armenia" under Article 422, Part 2 of the Armenian Criminal Code. Sentencing has been scheduled for a subsequent hearing on September 29 at 3:30 PM.
The case stems from a dramatic confrontation on June 28, 2025, when National Security Service (NSS) forces raided the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin during a clergy assembly. The operation was thwarted by more than a thousand supporters who blocked the archbishop's arrest, forcing law enforcement to withdraw. Ajapahyan later traveled voluntarily to Yerevan to meet with investigators.
The court had ordered two months of pretrial detention for the archbishop, accused of publicly calling for the usurpation of power. This detention was subsequently extended on August 15 and September 2. According to observers, the proceedings have been characterized by unusual speed, with all defense motions systematically rejected. Critics argue the case has been built primarily on excerpts from the archbishop's homilies and public addresses, which they contend should be interpreted through theological and metaphorical lenses rather than as references to Armenian domestic politics.
Ajapahyan's conviction unfolds against a backdrop of escalating tensions between the Pashinyan government and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Relations have particularly soured since the Church organized a conference in Switzerland addressing the destruction of Armenian heritage in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
Beyond Archbishop Ajapahyan, authorities have also arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and businessman-politician Samvel Karapetyan on terrorism charges. According to some sources, the crackdown coincided with Prime Minister Pashinyan's signing of a U.S.-mediated peace agreement with Azerbaijan, leading government critics to speak bluntly of "proscription lists."
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin issued a strongly worded statement in response to the court's decision, declaring that "justice has become arbitrary and is openly used for political revenge."
Notably, in 2024 authorities declined to pursue a case against Ajapahyan after he made statements similar to those for which he was indicted in 2025, suggesting a shift in the government's approach toward clergy deemed "dissident."
The verdict marks another critical juncture in church-state relations in Armenia. While the government maintains it is enforcing the law against those making calls it considers subversive, critics view these proceedings as instruments to silence religious and civil opposition.
The September 29 hearing will determine the severity of Archbishop Ajapahyan's sentence in what many observers consider a emblematic case of the current state of democracy and rule of law in Armenia.
.png)
