A Yerevan court on Wednesday found Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan guilty of publicly calling for the violent overthrow of Armenia’s constitutional order—capping a rushed trial that began August 15, weeks after security forces stormed the Mother See of Echmiadzin to seize him.
How We Got Here
- June 26: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan threatened to forcibly remove Catholicos Karekin II if he refused to resign.
- June 27: Security forces raided the Mother See to detain Ajapahyan. Hundreds of clergy and laypeople resisted; Ajapahyan surrendered to investigators hours later.
- Charge: Prosecutors say Ajapahyan’s June 2025 statements amounted to calls for a coup. (A 2024 interview with similar remarks was previously deemed not chargeable by the Prosecutor-General’s Office.)
The Verdict
Presiding judge Armine Meliksetyan convicted Ajapahyan of inciting violent regime change. Sentencing is due later this month or early next; the penalty could be up to five years in prison.
Ajapahyan dismissed the case as political throughout the proceedings. In his final statement, he told the court:
“I am freer in prison and have had so much opportunity to talk with God and myself that I am happy and grateful for it… Being a defendant under this government for political reasons can only bring honor.”
He accused Pashinyan’s administration of “nullifying” the 1991–94 victory in Nagorno-Karabakh and bearing responsibility for the 2020 defeat.
Defense, Church, and Opposition Reactions
Ajapahyan’s legal team will appeal. Attorney Ara Zohrabyan called the ruling a “political decision,” alleging the government intends to keep the archbishop jailed through the June 2026 parliamentary elections and pointing to the accelerated timetable as proof of pressure.
The Armenian Apostolic Church condemned the verdict as a “very serious blow to justice in Armenia,” asserting that the judiciary is subordinate to political power. Opposition leaders—several of whom attended hearings—also denounced the conviction.
The Larger Standoff
Despite backlash, Pashinyan has doubled down on efforts to remove Karekin II, urging supporters on July 20 to be ready to “free” the Mother See. Opposition figures have warned against any attempt to seize the Catholicos’s seat and have told their supporters to prepare to defend Karekin at Echmiadzin.
