The Yerevan City Criminal Court has sentenced Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan to two years in prison, finding him guilty in a case of public calls for seizing power, News.am reports.
The prosecution requested a sentence of two years and six months in prison for Ajapakhyan. The case against the archbishop was prompted by an interview from February 2024, in which he stated that Armenia needed a military coup.
Ajapakhyan was arrested in June 2025 amid the confrontation between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the leadership of the Armenian Church. Another archbishop, Bagrat Galstanyan, was also detained at that time.
The trial against the archbishops is connected with the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia, scheduled for June 2026, the BBC notes. The opposition sees this as a persecution of political opponents, while representatives of the ruling party speak of a preparation of a “hybrid intervention” in the elections, identifying pro-Russian oppositionists and church leaders as part of this plan. The spiritual and administrative center of the Armenian Church, Holy Etchmiadzin, commented on the decision as follows: “The unjust sentence of imprisonment of His Holiness Archbishop Michael Ajapakhyan is yet another evidence of a political crackdown. It constitutes a gross violation of the principles of freedom of speech and religion, as well as the prohibition of discrimination, and is a direct challenge to the democratic order. Strongly condemning the blatant lawlessness, we once again declare that the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin will resort to all legal means, including international mechanisms, to restore the just rights of His Holiness Archbishop Michael Ajapakhyan.”
