Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
3h ago

Armenia Sentences Archbishop Ajapahyan to Two Years for Calling for Regime Change

The verdict intensifies the government’s standoff with the Apostolic Church during a politically sensitive push to finalize a U.S.-brokered peace with Azerbaijan.

Armenia's National Security officers arrest Archbishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church Bagrat Galstanyan, who is charged with attempting to overthrow the government and destabilizing the state, in Yerevan, Armenia, June 25, 2025. Melik Baghdasaryan/Photolure via REUTERS

Overview

  • A court handed the 62-year-old cleric a two-year prison term on Oct. 3 after finding him guilty of calling for the government’s overthrow.
  • The Armenian Apostolic Church condemned the ruling as political vengeance, and Ajapahyan’s lawyer said he will appeal.
  • Authorities initially declined to punish a 2024 interview urging a coup but moved to arrest him after similar remarks this year.
  • Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who led street protests, remains in pre-trial detention on separate charges tied to an alleged plot.
  • The confrontation is unfolding as Armenia heads toward elections and faces pressure to conclude a Washington-brokered peace, with Azerbaijan pushing for constitutional changes in Yerevan.