Armenian Apostolic Church Condemns Two-Year Prison Sentence for Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, Vows International Action

OCP News Service & Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin– 04/10/2025

Yerevan-Armenia: A court in Yerevan has sentenced Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, the leader of the Shirak Diocese, to two years in prison after finding him guilty of “calling for the seizure of power” under Article 422, Part 2 of Armenia’s Criminal Code. The guilty verdict was initially issued on September 23.

The Armenian Apostolic Church, through the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, issued a strong statement condemning the decision, asserting that the court, on October 3, “continuing to violate the fundamental principles of justice,” sentenced the Archbishop.

Church Denounces Verdict as ‘Political Retaliation’

The Mother See declared that the criminal prosecution initiated against Archbishop Ajapahyan had “political motives and was a clear manifestation of the authorities’ anti-church campaign” from the beginning.

“The unjust verdict on the imprisonment of His Eminence Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan is yet another proof of political retaliation, which is a gross violation of the principle of freedom of speech and religion, the prohibition of discrimination, and a direct challenge to the democratic society,” the statement read.

The Church affirmed its strong condemnation of the “blatant illegalities,” and vowed that the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin “will pursue the application of legal, including international, instruments to restore the just rights of His Eminence Archbishop Mikayapahyan.”

Controversial Proceedings and Wider Crackdown

The sentencing followed a controversial final court hearing where the prosecutor requested a two-year, six-month sentence, with time in pre-trial detention credited. The defense, led by Ara Zohrabyan, moved to recuse presiding judge Armine Meliksetyan, arguing she violated the law by failing to inform the parties of their right to file motions after the guilty verdict. Judge Meliksetyan rejected the motion.

The case was launched on June 28 when NSS forces attempted a raid on the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin during a clergy assembly. The arrest was blocked by over a thousand supporters. The Archbishop later voluntarily surrendered in Yerevan and was detained under orders repeatedly extended through August and September. The defense noted the trial’s unusual speed, dismissed motions, and charges based only on selective excerpts from the cleric’s sermons and speeches.

This conviction is set against a broader campaign by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration to weaken the Armenian Apostolic Church, which escalated after the Church organized a conference on the destruction of Armenian heritage in Artsakh. Pashinyan has intensified attacks on Catholicos Karekin II, threatening his removal and insisting on state control over future Catholicos elections, while state-linked media has disseminated defamatory claims.

The verdict follows similar persecutions of Church supporters, including philanthropist Samvel Karapetyan, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, and 17 members of the “Tavush for the Homeland” movement. Their ongoing trials are all cited by critics as being marked by fabricated charges, intimidation, and courts “reduced to instruments of power.”

Source:

OCP News Service