Jailed Armenian archbishop's surgery delayed amid health concerns, MP says

Surgery for Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, the leader of the Shirak Diocese, has been postponed due to additional health concerns, according to a lawmaker who visited him in hospital.

Martun Grigoryan, an MP from the opposition Pativ Unem alliance, said he met the archbishop at the Izmirlian Medical Center in Yerevan late on Monday. Doctors are currently working to stabilize Ajapahyan’s condition before proceeding with the operation, he said.

“The surgery is being delayed due to other health issues,” Grigoryan wrote on Facebook, adding that the procedure will take place once the archbishop’s body is fully prepared.

Despite his serious health problems, Grigoryan said Ajapahyan appeared resilient. When asked about his condition, the archbishop replied: “I am fine, thank God.”

The MP added that they held a lengthy conversation during which Ajapahyan inquired about his home city of Gyumri and Shirak Province, sending his greetings to local residents.

Mikayel Ajapahyan has been sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of calling for a violent seizure of power in Armenia. He has denied the charges as politically motivated.