In Yerevan, Armenia, a heightened clampdown on dissent has led to the arrest of another prominent cleric accused of conspiring against the government. Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was placed in pre-trial detention for a period of two months as determined by a court ruling on Saturday. His lawyer, Ara Zohrabyan, criticized the decision, describing it as “obviously illegal and unfounded” and indicated plans to appeal the ruling.
The charges against Archbishop Ajapahyan stem from allegations that he openly advocated for an armed uprising to depose the current administration. On Friday, as security forces attempted his arrest at the Armenian Apostolic Church’s headquarters near Yerevan, confrontations ensued between clergymen and police, with footage showing heated interactions circulating on social media as cathedral bells pealed in the background.
Following an appeal by Armenia’s National Security Service for his cooperation, Ajapahyan appeared before the Investigative Committee, clad in traditional robes. Speaking to the press, he professed his commitment to transparency and denounced the legal proceedings as a display of lawlessness. “I have never been a threat to this country,” he asserted, instead pointing fingers at the government as the primary danger.
The socio-political climate was tense, having seen various incidents of unrest, including massive demonstrations demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The protests were ignited by Armenia’s decision to cede control of several disputed border territories to Azerbaijan and to attempt reconciliation between the two historically adversarial nations.
Earlier in the week, another cleric, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, known leader of the Sacred Struggle opposition faction, was arrested on accusations of orchestrating a plot to topple Prime Minister Pashinyan. His legal representative dismissed the accusations as fabricated. The Sacred Struggle continues to resist territorial concessions, broadening their criticism into wider dissatisfaction with Pashinyan’s leadership, which began in 2018.
Simultaneously, Russian-Armenian entrepreneur Samvel Karapetyan was detained on charges of inciting the government’s overthrow, accusations he has fervently denied. Continuous tensions with Azerbaijan have their roots in territorial battles from the early 1990s after the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Armenian forces had maintained control over Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region and adjacent areas for nearly thirty years until recent military engagements saw Azerbaijan reclaim the lands.
In pursuit of regional stabilization, Pashinyan’s recent diplomatic efforts included a visit to Turkey—Azerbaijan’s ally—in an attempt to address longstanding hostilities between Armenians and Turks, which date back to the controversial 1915 events in the Ottoman Empire.
Efforts to impeach Pashinyan have failed, despite the mounting criticisms and the deteriorating alliance between the Apostolic Church and his administration. Tension escalated further when Pashinyan called for the resignation of church leader Karekin II following allegations concerning violations of clerical celibacy, accusations that provoked strong rebuke from the church, accusing Pashinyan of undermining the nation’s spiritual cohesion.