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 has been arrested on coup charges after he voluntarily surrendered to the authorities, as the conflict between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the opposition 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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28 June 2025

06:45 GMT

Adjapahyan has been transferred from the courthouse to a detention facility, Sputnik Armenia has reported.

06:39 GMT

The Armenian Prosecutor’s Office quoted Adjapahyan’s interview from February, which was also mentioned in the indictment, as saying: “Now, the respect reserved for me is like this, who listens to me now, if anyone listened to me, the revolution should have happened long ago. I only know three ways to change power... This is an election, supposedly, or, or supposedly an election, or an election, the second is a coup, the third is a popular uprising.”

He then allegedly added: “How many times have I said openly that a military coup is needed?” 

As for the June interview, he was quoted as saying: “I never called for a takeover. I called for a coup… I told the security forces to save this country, save it from this madman, they are not saving it, they are equally guilty of all this.”

06:26 GMT

The decision to charge Adjapahyan is based, among other things, “on his public calls to seize power” during interviews on June 21, the Armenian Prosecutor’s Office has said.

It added that the archbishop “reaffirmed his words… about the need to carry out a coup and assume power by means not provided for by the Constitution, with the help of high-ranking military personnel.”

05:48 GMT

As of early morning, a crowd of protesters has remained outside the courthouse, which is being heavily guarded by police, according to footage from the scene.

 

05:39 GMT

Adjapahyan has ten days to appeal the arrest, his lawyer has said, adding that the defense will do so once the full ruling is handed down by the judge.

05:17 GMT

The court’s decision to arrest Adjapahyan is “blatantly illegal and unfounded,” his lawyers have said, adding that the archbishop is barred from receiving visitors, except close relatives and legal support.

04:44 GMT

A court has ordered Archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan to be held in custody for two months, Sputnik Armenia reports.

The decision followed an all-night hearing during which prosecutors accused the cleric of calling for a coup. According to his defense team, the charge stems from an interview Ajapahyan gave during mass anti-government protests in 2024.

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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