Armenian appellate court deliberates in archbishop's case

The Armenian Criminal Court of Appeals has retired to chambers to deliberate in the case of Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, the leader of the Shirak Diocese, who was previously convicted under Armenia’s Penal Code for public calls to seize power.

Defense lawyers have petitioned the appellate court to overturn the lower court ruling and acquit Ajapahyan.

The senior cleric was arrested on June 28, 2025, and later sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty under Article 422.2 of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes public calls to seize power, undermine territorial integrity, renounce sovereignty or violently overthrow constitutional order. His detention was subsequently commuted to house arrest in February 2026.