Senior clergyman under investigation for call for coup in Armenia

Criminal proceedings have been launched in connection with Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan’s recent statement, which authorities deem a call for a coup—an offense under the criminal code of Armenia, Report informs via Armenpress.

Ajapahyan had earlier stated in an interview, “A military coup d'état must be carried out in Armenia.”

According to the prosecution, the criminal case relates to provisions in the criminal code concerning publicly advocating the overthrow of government (usurpation of power), violation of territorial integrity, abandonment of sovereignty, and the violent overthrow of the constitutional order.

Archbishop Ajapahyan is the head of the Diocese of Shirak of the Armenian Apostolic Church.