The Armenian Apostolic Church called the verdict of Archbishop Ajapakhyan a political revenge

The court's decision to sentence the head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan, to two years in prison is a gross violation of freedom of speech and religion, and a direct challenge to a democratic society. This was announced on October 3 by the Mother See of Etchmiadzin.

"It was obvious from the very beginning that the criminal case against the head of the Shirak diocese was politically motivated and was one of the clear manifestations of the authorities' anti—church campaign," Sputnik Armenia quoted him as saying.

The church noted that it strongly condemns the "blatant lawlessness" and assured that it will use all legal, including international, tools to restore the rights of the archbishop.

In turn, MP from the Armenia bloc Gegham Manukyan stated in the courtyard of the court that the judicial and legal system, through the head of the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor General and other officials of the country, fulfilled the political order of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

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Earlier that day, a court in Yerevan sentenced Ajapakhyan to two years in prison on charges of calling for the seizure of power.

Ajapakhyan was detained on June 27. The Investigative Committee of Armenia has opened a criminal case against him on calls to overthrow the government in the country. In turn, Armenian lawyer Varazdat Harutyunyan stated that the criminal case against the archbishop on calls to seize power is absurd from a legal point of view. The next day, the court arrested the archbishop for two months.

On July 24, Ajapakhyan's lawyers filed a petition asking to cancel or change the measure of restraint for their client. The legal team noted that there were no grounds for the arrest of the clergyman. On September 24, the court found Ajapakhyan guilty of calling for the violent overthrow of the government.

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