Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II was permitted on Tuesday to visit Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, the outspoken head of the Shirak Diocese, who has been in custody for more than two months.
The visit was approved by the judge overseeing Ajapahyan’s trial, who last week granted a request from the archbishop’s lawyers to allow visitors other than journalists to meet with him at the Yerevan penitentiary.
Father Yesayi Artenyan, spokesman for the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin, confirmed that Karekin personally met with Ajapahyan.
“His Holiness had previously expressed a desire to visit Monsignors Mikael and Bagrat [Galstyan] as well as national benefactor Samvel Karapetyan, unfortunately, those requests were denied.”
The Mother See issued a statement reiterating its condemnation of what it described as “illegal” criminal proceedings against Ajapahyan, Galstyan, and Karapetyan.
Ajapahyan was arrested in late June after security forces attempted to detain him during a dramatic raid on the Mother See in Echmiadzin. Hundreds of clergy and laypeople resisted the operation, forcing authorities to back down. The archbishop voluntarily presented himself to investigators hours later and was charged with calling for a violent overthrow of the government.
Ajapahyan’s case stems from public statements he made criticizing the government and warning that a change of power might become necessary to save the country. The Prosecutor-General’s Office had previously ruled similar remarks in 2024 insufficient to warrant criminal charges but reopened the case this year.
His trial, which began on August 15, is proceeding at an unusually fast pace. Defense lawyers say this suggests heavy political pressure on the court. If convicted, Ajapahyan faces up to five years in prison. Throughout the proceedings, he has remained defiant, declaring he is unafraid of imprisonment.
The arrests of Ajapahyan, Galstyan, and Karapetyan have coincided with growing tensions between the government and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Supporters of the Church say the prosecutions are politically motivated and aimed at weakening a key institution that has historically played a central role in Armenian national life.
Catholicos Karekin II has continued to speak out on national issues, including the situation in Artsakh. In a statement on September 4, he condemned Azerbaijan’s destruction of Armenian religious sites in the region and decried the continued imprisonment of Artsakh’s former leaders.
