In Yerevan, Armenia, a dramatic standoff emerged Friday as security forces confronted crowds at the Armenian Apostolic Church’s headquarters over attempts to arrest an outspoken government critic. The tension in Etchmiadzin, located outside the capital, concluded with the security forces backing down without detaining Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, as they aimed to prevent further conflict, according to Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS). Following requests by the NSS for Ajapahyan to meet with authorities, video footage showed him entering the Armenia’s Investigative Committee building.
Social media captured images of clergymen in traditional black robes clashing with police, with NSS personnel present. Bells from the cathedral within the complex, known as the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and seat of church leader Catholicos Karekin II, rang in the background. Last year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was the target of protests involving tens of thousands after Armenia agreed to cede control of several border villages to Azerbaijan while pursuing normalized relations with its rival neighbor.
Recently, on Wednesday, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a leader of the Sacred Struggle opposition movement, was arrested. He faced charges of conspiring to overthrow the government, which the Armenia’s Investigative Committee suggested was aimed at a sabotage plot. His legal representation dismissed these allegations as “fiction.” Members of Sacred Struggle accused the government of suppressing their political freedoms. Additionally, Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, a vocal critic of Pashinyan, was detained last week for allegedly inciting government overthrow, allegations he firmly denies.
In a statement, the NSS advised citizens to avoid intensifying the situation and to cooperate with law enforcement. Ajapahyan was also encouraged not to avoid authorities but to comply by appearing before them. Prosecutors have accused Ajapahyan of advocating for the government’s removal in an interview on February 3, 2024, his lawyer noted. Originally, Ajapahyan appeared willing to go with the police but ultimately refrained from entering the police vehicle.
“I have never hidden and I am not going to hide now,” Ajapahyan declared. “What is happening now is lawlessness. I have never been a threat to this country, the main threat is in the government.” Armenia has been in a longstanding territorial conflict with Azerbaijan, dating back to the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. After the disintegration of the USSR in 1991, ethnic Armenian forces took control of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding areas with Armenian military support.
In a significant shift, Azerbaijan regained large portions of this territory in 2020, and in September 2023, a rapid military campaign allowed Azerbaijan to reclaim full control of Karabakh, with Armenia subsequently transferring border villages. Prime Minister Pashinyan has since pursued normalizing connections with Azerbaijan and recently visited Turkey, Azerbaijan’s ally, in hopes of resolving historical tensions. Turkey and Armenia are at odds over the 1915 mass killings and deportations of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey, which many historians label as genocide. Turkey disputes this characterization, suggesting that deaths occurred amid civil unrest without inflated numbers.
Pashinyan’s attempts to impeach have not succeeded since he assumed office in 2018. Although the core of Sacred Struggle’s grievances has been territorial concessions, their criticisms now span a broader critique of Pashinyan’s administration as relations between the Apostolic Church and the government have soured. June 8 saw Pashinyan call for church leader Karekin II’s resignation amid accusations of violating celibacy vows, which the church condemned as an attempt to undermine Armenia’s spiritual unity. The allegation regarding the child remained unaddressed by the church.