Archbishop of the Armenian Church Mikael Ajapakhyan sentenced to two years in prison

A court in Yerevan passed a sentence on the head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan. He was found guilty of public calls to overthrow the constitutional order and sentenced to two years in prison.

According to Armenpress news agency, the charge was brought on the basis of Article 422 part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. This article provides liability for «public calls for seizure of power, violation of territorial integrity, renunciation of sovereignty or violent overthrow of the constitutional order».

According to the case materials, the public statements of the clergyman were considered by law enforcement authorities as direct incitement to anti-government actions, which was the basis for criminal prosecution and subsequent conviction.

Earlier we reported that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated the continuation of the campaign aimed at the removal of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II from the throne. The head of the government stressed that the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church (AAC) should return to a «pro-state and state-oriented direction,» which, in his opinion, is impossible without the departure of the current Catholicos. Pashinyan called the initiative a «spiritual and apolitical agenda» but linked it to state security issues, accusing the Church of a centuries-old «imperial logic» that continues under the current Catholicos.