Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan of the Diocese of Shirak of the Armenian Apostolic Church at a proceeding in Yerevan, Armenia, 3 October 2025. © Sputnik/Aram Nersesyan
The Armenian Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was found guilty of inciting a coup and sentenced to 2 years in prison in connection with the increasing conflict between the church and the government.The clergyman dismissed the charges against him, considering them politically motivated.
In fresh months tensions have intensified between Prime Minister Nikola Paszynian and the opposition, supported by prominent Armenian figures of the Apostolic Church (AAC).Critics accused Paszynian of betraying Armenia's national interests after agreeing to hand over respective border villages to Azerbaijan, the country with which Armenia is having territorial disputes.
However, Paszynian defended the decision that sparked the protests, claiming that it was intended to resolve a decades-long conflict between the 2 erstwhile russian republics.On Friday, a court in Yerevan sentenced Ajapaahjan, who has been in custody since his arrest in late June.The prosecution demanded 2 and a half years in prison for the Archbishop, while his defence claimed he was innocent.According to the indictment, Ajapahjan called for the overthrow of the current government of Armenia in 2 media interviews, February 2024 and June 2025 respectively.Commenting on the case against him after his arrest, Ajapaahjan warned that "The Lord will not forgive pathetic minions who know precisely what they are doing."In August Karekin II, ultimate Patriarch and Catholics of All Armenians, expressed concern "an illegal run against the Armenian Apostolic Church and its clergy led by the governing political forces," according to a message published by the church.In June, the Armenian authorities arrested another influential clergyman, Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, on suspicion of terrorism and the preparation of a coup.In the same month, the spokesperson for Kremlin Dmitry Pieskov defined the gap between the Armenian government and the Church as ‘internal case’ Armenia.
However, he added that many people in the many Armenian diaspora in Russia “It is painful to observe these events” and "does not accept the way this is happening".
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/russia/625879-armenian-archbishop-prison-coup-incitement/
