The first court hearing in the case against the head of the AAC has been scheduled in Armenia

A court in the Armavir Region will begin hearing the criminal case against Catholicos Garegin II of All Armenians and six bishops. The first preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 7, 2026, and will take place at the Echmiadzin Spiritual Center.

According to Blagovest-info , citing the primate’s attorney, Aru Zograbyan, the case has been transferred to a court of general jurisdiction of first instance. The defense attorney emphasized that Garegin II is being persecuted for performing his direct ecclesiastical duties. The hearing will begin at 4:00 p.m. local time.

As a reminder, the criminal prosecution against the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church was initiated on February 14 on charges of obstructing the execution of a court order to restore the authority of Arman Saroyan, the rector of the Masiacotn Diocese, who had previously been deposed by a decision of the Supreme Spiritual Council. The case was referred to court with an indictment on July 29.

This situation is unfolding against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the clergy. The conflict intensified after 2020, when Echmiadzin demanded the resignation of the head of government due to his policies regarding Nagorno-Karabakh. In recent months, according to the church, the authorities have been effectively waging an open campaign to oust the Catholicos, who, according to the church’s charter, is elected for life.