Overview

• On June 25, Armenia’s Investigative Committee accused Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan of recruiting over 1,000 former soldiers and officers for terrorist acts and plotting to seize power
• Lawyers and opposition groups labeled the charges as fabricated after security forces found only protest smoke bombs during extensive home searches
• Earlier this month, Pashinyan publicly demanded the resignation of Catholicos Garegin II over alleged celibacy breaches, escalating tensions with the church
• Security forces withdrew from Etchmiadzin on June 27 after clergy and supporters blocked the arrest of Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan
• The detentions, including that of Russian-Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan, coincide with Pashinyan’s push to normalize relations with Azerbaijan and tighten control over dissent