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4h ago

Armenia Sentences Archbishop to Two Years for Calls to Overthrow Government

The verdict deepens a church–state rift during a fraught push for a U.S.-brokered peace deal 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 in Yerevan on Oct. 3 sentenced Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan to two years in prison after a Sept. 24 conviction for publicly urging the government's overthrow.
  • The Armenian Apostolic Church denounced the ruling as political vengeance, and Ajapahyan’s lawyer called the case politically motivated and said an appeal will be filed.
  • Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan remains in pre-trial detention on coup-related allegations after leading protests, with investigators claiming explosives were found and his defense rejecting the claim.
  • A June attempt to detain Ajapahyan triggered a tense standoff at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, after which he appeared before investigators and was remanded to pretrial detention.
  • The prosecutions are unfolding as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan contends with upcoming elections and a still-unfinished peace process with Azerbaijan, which includes Baku pressing for constitutional changes in Armenia.