Law enforcement raided the local seat of the national church, which had protested territorial concessions to Azerbaijan
© Screenshot / Social media
A prominent Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) cleric chose to surrender himself to police despite protesters’ attempts to defend him, as the conflict between the opposition and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan deepens.
Police raided the seat of the country’s Apostolic Church, the largest in Armenia, in the city of Vagharshapat, leading to major clashes between clerics, church members, and law enforcement.
Though pro-Church protesters had managed to block earlier attempts to detain Archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan, the cleric chose to walk to the Investigative Committee (IC) building and turn himself in. Earlier, authorities had tried to detain Adjapahyan on suspicion of attempting to stage a coup—accusations the cleric has denied.
A number of pro-Church protesters have been detained, and the IC has announced that it has launched criminal proceedings into obstruction of justice.
The country’s government has been at odds with the AAC for months, as it emerged as the main driver behind mass protests against Pashinyan’s agreement to hand over several border villages to Azerbaijan, with which Armenia has border disputes.
While Pashinyan portrayed the move as a pathway to mending tenuous relations between the two former Soviet republics, many Armenians have seen it as a betrayal of national interests.As the stand-off escalated, Armenian authorities on Wednesday arrested Bagrat Galstanyan, a high-profile cleric and a key protest leader, on terrorism charges.
They also detained Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who voiced support for the AAC. Karapetyan faces charges of calling for the overthrow of the state.
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27 June 2025
23:19 GMT
The hearing resumed on Saturday, with Adjapahyan’s supporters rallying outside the courthouse.
Adjapahyan’s lawyer, Varazdat Arutynyan, told reporters that his arrest would amount to “political prosecution.”
- 20:56 GMT
The court has postponed the hearing after Adjapahyan’s defense team asked for extra time to examine the case documents, which they have just been given, Sputnik Armenia has reported.
The hearing will take place at 2:30am local time.
- 20:26 GMT
The verdict in Adjapahyan’s case will be issued by the same judge who ruled in favor of Bagrat Galstanyan’s arrest earlier this week, Sputnik Armenia reports, citing one of the archbishop’s lawyers.
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- 20:02 GMT
The accusations against Adjapahyan are clearly unfounded, his lawyer has said.
“This entire process of attempted arrest and interrogation was accompanied by Nikol Pashinyan’s incorrect and misleading comments during the preliminary investigation,” he wrote in a statement published on social media.
“It is obvious that we are dealing with another illegal step in the government’s anti-church crackdown,” as manifested in the raids on the seat of the Apostolic Church, he added.
Adjapahyan has been detained on suspicion of publicly advocating for the overthrow of the ruling government, a crime punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
- 19:28 GMT
Adjapahyan has asked for his supporters to not nominate him for prime minister.
“I am fully satisfied with my service as a clergyman, so I ask that my name not be used in the list of candidates for the post of prime minister. God bless you,” the cleric said in a written statement published by his lawyer.
Armenian opposition groups have called for Prime Minister Pashinyan to be impeached and for Adjapahyan to be nominated for his position.
- 18:49 GMT
The archbishop has been delivered to court, Sputnik Armenia reports.
- 18:42 GMT
Adjapahyan said he would like to use his right to a single phone call while in detention to call the Armenian prime minister, when asked whom he would like to contact.
“I would like to inform Nikol Pashinyan that I have been detained,” he told his lawyer, according to Sputnik Armenia.
Pashinyan earlier accused the cleric of “violating a biblical commandment” by not immediately complying with the authorities.
- 18:16 GMT
Adjapahyan is being moved from the IC building to a local court, Armenia Today has reported.
- 18:15 GMT
Adjapahyan has been detained on suspicion of advocating to overthrow the government, the cleric’s lawyer has said, according to RIA Novosti.
A Yerevan court will consider the issue of his arrest within 24 hours, he added.
- 17:58 GMT
Both the clergy and believers support Archbishop Adjapahyan, the AAC said, adding that it will defend its rights by all legal means.
“We expect a fair decision from the court.”
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