Lawyer: Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan's case should have never reached court

Defense attorney Marine Farmanyan on Thursday argued that the criminal case against Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is so fundamentally flawed that it should never have advanced to the court, describing the proceedings as a politically motivated prosecution marred by serious legal violations.

Farmanyan made the remarks after Armenia’s Criminal Court of Appeals announced that its judicial panel had retired to deliberate on the case and would publish its ruling once a decision had been finalized.

“It is not uncommon for a court to withdraw for deliberations without specifying when a ruling will be issued,” Farmanyan told reporters. She said the court’s decision to deliberate behind closed doors was procedurally proper and that the defense team would be notified in advance of the ruling’s publication.

According to Farmanyan, the defense has consistently maintained that the case lacks legal grounds.

“From the standpoint of criminal procedure, this case should never have been before a court,” she said. “The defense has repeatedly stated that this is a political persecution, accompanied by numerous substantive and procedural violations.”

While declining to speculate on the appellate court’s forthcoming decision, Farmanyan said the judges have several options. The court could overturn the lower court ruling and issue an acquittal, identify significant procedural or substantive legal errors and order further proceedings, or amend the existing ruling.

“The possible outcomes are varied,” she said. “What remains clear is that this case bears all the hallmarks of political persecution and is marked by multiple legal irregularities.”

Farmanyan also accused the current government of exerting political influence over the judiciary and law-enforcement agencies, alleging that legal processes are increasingly being shaped by political considerations rather than the rule of law.

“In this environment, the appellate court will need considerable independence and resolve to deliver a genuinely impartial and fair decision,” she said.

Earlier on Thursday, a three-judge panel of the Criminal Court of Appeal announced that it was retiring to deliberate on Ajapahyan’s appeal.

Defense lawyers have petitioned the court to overturn the ruling issued by judge Armine Meliksetyan of the lower court and to acquit Ajapahyan.