Holy Etchmiadzin condemns court decision on Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan’s case

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin strongly condemned the decision made on July 30, 2025, by the Criminal Court of Appeals of Armenia concerning Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, Primate of the Diocese of Shirak. The court upheld the initial ruling to apply detention.

“On June 28, 2025, the Court of First Instance imposed detention on Archbishop Ajapahyan based on fabricated allegations of obstructing the investigation and committing a crime.

The continued detention of Archbishop Ajapahyan is a punitive measure aimed at suppressing freedom of speech and a direct consequence of the government’s anti-Church policies and hate speech against clergy.

We call on the judicial and prosecutorial authorities to immediately release Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, who has been arrested without grounds,” the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin said in a statement.