THE Armenian Apostolic Church has condemned the imprisonment of one of its archbishops, amid bitter disputes between Church and State over a projected deal to end a 30-year conflict with Azerbaijan.
“It was clear from the outset that this criminal prosecution was politically motivated, a stark manifestation of the authorities’ anti-church campaign,” said a statement published by the see of Etchmiadzin last Friday.
“This unjust verdict is yet another instance of political retribution — a flagrant violation of the principles of freedom of speech and religion and rules against discrimination, and a direct challenge to the democratic order.”
The Church, dating from the first century, was reacting to a two-year prison term imposed on Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, of the diocese of Shirak, for allegedly inciting a coup.
The sentence was dismissed by the Archbishop’s lawyer, Ara Zohrabyan, as a “blatant political directive”. It was defended, however, by prosecutors, who said that, during media interviews in February 2024 and June 2025, Archbishop Ajapahyan had twice called for a coup or popular uprising to overthrow Nikol Pashinyan’s liberal government .
The prime minister, whose Civil Contract party gained power in January 2019, has attempted to maintain ties with Russia while negotiating accession to the European Union. Church and State have clashed over attempts at peace with Azerbaijan. With a predominantly Muslim population, Azerbaijan gained full control of the contested territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and other contested areas in a sudden September 2023 coup.
Although a fresh deal, still to be ratified, was signed in Washington with American mediation on 8 August, the Church’s leaders have accused Mr Pashinyan of failing to protect Christian heritage sites, ignoring the rights of displaced Armenians, and failing to secure the return of prisoners-of-war and detainees.
Archbishop Ajapahyan turned himself in to police last June after violent scuffles with police outside the Church’s Yerevan offices. Another prelate, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, is also charged with plotting sabotage, after accusing the government during opposition rallies of allowing genocide and the destruction of churches.
In a national message for Armenia’s Independence Day on 21 September, the Church’s head, the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, urged citizens to continue “building and strengthening the state” while remaining “faithful to the aspirations of national awakening, values and sanctities”. His leadership has been consistenty attacked by government supporters.
“The re-establishment of independent statehood was a centuries-old cherished desire, which our people realised with collective will,” Catholicos Karekin said.
“Out of responsibility for the state, we cannot tolerate injustice and lawlessness, hatred and division, falsehood and deceit, but must lead our people to consensus and unity, finding safe ways out of these difficult situations.”
In last Friday’s statement, the Church said that court judges had “again trampled on fundamental justice principles”, adding that it would seek restoration of Archbishop Ajapahyan’s “rightful freedoms”, and through “international legal mechanisms” if necessary.
