Trial of Armenian Archbishop kicks off in Armenia
(MENAFN) The trial of Armenian Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, a first in the country’s modern history, has commenced in Yerevan. The senior cleric faces charges of inciting a coup, which he has dismissed as politically motivated.
The case reflects an intensifying clash between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and opposition forces, including senior figures from the Armenian Apostolic Church. Critics accuse Pashinyan of betraying national interests after agreeing to cede several border villages to Azerbaijan, a move he defends as necessary to resolve the long-standing territorial conflict between the two former Soviet republics.
During Friday’s initial hearing, the presiding judge rejected a request by Ajapahyan’s lawyer to reduce his pre-trial detention, extending it by another ten days. The archbishop has been in custody since his arrest in late June.
Prosecutors are basing their case on two interviews Ajapahyan gave to the media in February 2024 and June 2025. A police raid on the Armenian Apostolic Church headquarters in Vagharshapat in late June triggered clashes between clergy, church members, and law enforcement. Ajapahyan eventually surrendered voluntarily.
Commenting on the proceedings, the archbishop said that the “Lord will not forgive the pathetic minions who know very well what they do.” Earlier this month, Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, spoke with human rights activists about the “illegal campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and its clergy by the ruling political force,” according to a statement released by the church.
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