Armenian archbishop sentenced to 2 years in prison over alleged coup plot

YEREVAN, Armenia — YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — A prominent cleric in Armenia was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday after being found guilty of inciting an overthrow of the government.

Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was arrested in June and accused of involvement in an alleged coup plot against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Ajapahyan was found guilty on September 24 of inciting the overthrow of the government. His lawyer, Ara Zohrabyan, criticized the verdict as politically motivated.

Zohrabyan argued that Ajapahyan was prosecuted for merely expressing an opinion and vowed to appeal the verdict.

The Armenian Apostolic Church also condemned the verdict, labeling it as politically motivated and part of the authorities’ anti-church campaign.

In June, security forces clashed with crowds at the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church when attempting to detain Ajapahyan. Videos online showed clergymen in altercations with police.

Following a summons from the National Security Service, Ajapahyan appeared before authorities and was later placed in pretrial detention by a court in Yerevan.

Ajapahyan’s arrest came after that of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who was accused of planning a sabotage campaign against Pashinyan, charges his lawyer dismissed as unfounded.

Tensions rose in April 2024 when demonstrators demanded Pashinyan’s resignation following the agreement to hand over several border villages to Azerbaijan, a move opposed by the Sacred Struggle movement.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan dates back to the early 1990s, with territorial disputes escalating over the years. Azerbaijan regained control of Karabakh in 2020 after a military campaign, leading to the handover of border villages by Armenia.

Peace efforts were initiated through a deal signed at a White House summit, although a formal treaty is pending ratification by the countries’ parliaments.