In Yerevan, Armenia, a significant political and religious upheaval unfolded as one of the nation’s leading clerical figures was detained on terrorism charges. The Armenian security services arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a key voice in the Apostolic Church and a prominent critic of the government. He stands accused of orchestrating a series of violent actions, including bombings, arson, and road accidents intended to overthrow the current administration. These allegations have been categorically dismissed by Galstanyan’s legal team as baseless.
Archbishop Galstanyan directs the Sacred Struggle, an opposition faction urging the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The movement gained momentum particularly after Armenia ceded control of several border villages to Azerbaijan, a historical adversary, reflecting Pashinyan’s controversial policy of normalizing relations with the neighboring nation. The charges against Galstanyan were also refuted by Sacred Struggle, which claims the government is oppressing political dissent through these allegations.
Galstanyan is not only the head of the Tavush Diocese in northeastern Armenia but a vehement opponent of the territorial concessions, rooted in Armenia’s complex history as a former Soviet republic. Initially focusing on territorial integrity, Galstanyan has since broadened his movement’s critique to encompass a wide array of grievances against Pashinyan, who rose to power in 2018 amidst a wave of reformist zeal.
The land concession to Azerbaijan during September 2023 was a result of a swift military operation compelling ethnic Armenian insurgents from the Karabakh region to surrender. Pashinyan publicly commended the security services on social media for unearthing a plot by what he described as a collusion of corrupt religious figures aiming to destabilize the nation and seize control.
The arrest of Galstanyan has been accompanied by the detention of 13 additional individuals following widespread raids that targeted the homes of numerous opposition activists. As reported by the Investigative Committee, these operations included over 90 searches that unveiled weapons and ammunition. Galstanyan’s counsel, Sergei Harutyunyan, disputed the accusations, highlighting that a thorough search of Galstanyan’s home yielded only smoke bombs typically seen in Armenian protests.
This arrest reflects a larger discord between Prime Minister Pashinyan and the Apostolic Church, which has been simmering for some time. Earlier attempts to impeach Pashinyan faltered, but tensions with the church were exacerbated when Pashinyan accused Catholicos Karekin II, a senior church leader, of breaking his vow of celibacy by fathering a child. The church, while accusing Pashinyan of threatening Armenia’s spiritual cohesion, sidestepped the specific accusation.
This controversy stoked the ire among the church’s adherents, including Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire who blamed Pashinyan for orchestrating an attack on the religious institution. Karapetyan was detained shortly after voicing his discontent, facing allegations of advocating a power seizure. In the wake of these developments, Pashinyan announced plans to nationalize Karapetyan’s energy company, Electricity Networks of Armenia.