A Yerevan court today found Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, guilty on charges that he publicly called for seizing power and overthrowing constitutional order in Armenia, 

On June 25, Armenian law enforcement raided Ajapahyan’s residence in Gyumri, part of a larger crackdown on opposition figures, including other senior clergy, who called for Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.

Police attempted to arrest Ajapahyan, the Shirk Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church, on June 27, following a clergy meeting at the Etchmiadzin Holy See.

Ajapahyan left the building, escorted by Catholicos Garegin II, and was immediately surrounded by hundreds of supporters. Police officers finally left Etchmiadzin, arguing they didn’t want to escalate an already tense situation.

Ajapahyan voluntarily surrendered to police later that evening.

The clergyman, during an August trial session, shouted out that he doesn’t fear being sentenced to life imprisonment.

The court will impose a sentence on September 29. Ajapahyan faces a sentence ranging from a fine to five years imprisonment.

Ajapahyan denies the charges and claims he’s being politically persecuted as part of the government's actions to persecute church members

Police also detained Archbishop Bagrat Galstyan into custody in Yerevan that month. He was subsequently placed in pre-trial detention for two months on charges of terrorism, fomenting public disorder and planning to seize power.

Galstyan led a protest movement in 2024 opposing the Armenian government’s plan to handover border regions to Azerbaijan.