YEREVAN, June 27. /TASS/. A scuffle broke out between representatives of the Armenian clergy, believers and the country's law enforcement officers on the premises of the residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians in Vagharshapat, also known as Etchmiadzin, on Friday.
Officers of Armenia's National Security Service arrived at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to detain Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian, the head of the Shirak Diocese, for allegedly making public calls to overthrow the government. Worshippers did not allow Armenian authorities to detain the Archibishop and take him away.
TASS has compiled the key facts about the situation.
Reasons for scuffle
- On June 26, the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office opened a criminal case against Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian, accusing him of publicly calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order.
- Early on June 27, law enforcement officials arrived at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to detain Ajapahian.
- This angered the clergy and believers who tried to obstruct the officers.
- The archbishop approached the officers accompanied by his lawyer Ara Zohrabyan and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. However, the crowd did not allow Ajapahian to be taken away.
- A scuffle ensued between law enforcement officials and believers.
- Ajapahian returned to the Holy Etchmiadzin.
- Numerous police officers, special forces, and agents of Armenia's National Security Service were deployed to the area surrounding the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
- Later, security officers opened the gates to the Catholicos' residence and attempted to enter, but the believers once again stood in their way and kept them out.
- Armenia's National Security Service later announced that it was leaving the Catholicos' residence and called on Ajapahian to appear before the special forces.
Reaction
- Ajapahian told reporters that he would accompany the law enforcement officers who had come to detain him.
- The Armenian opposition called on its supporters to gather at Etchmiadzin and prevent law enforcement officials from detaining any clerics, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, the leader of the Dashnaktsutyun (the Armenian Revolutionary Federation) nationalist and socialist political party, said in a statement.
- Armenia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into the citizens' obstruction of the Ajapahian's detention.
- Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, the director of the External Relations and Protocol Department, told reporters that Ajapahian would come to Armenia's Investigative Committee voluntarily.
- Security forces sent a car to take Ajapahian there, but his followers did not allow him to leave.
Tensions between Armenian prime minister, country’s clergy
- Relations between Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the country’s clergy have deteriorated in recent years, particularly since the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin called for his resignation in 2020 and criticized his policy on Nagorno-Karabakh.
- On May 30, Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan published several posts on their social media accounts with derogatory remarks against representatives of the Armenian Church.
- On June 24, the Armenian prime minister shared material from the pro-government Civic.am portal on his Telegram channel. The material contained information about an allegedly planned "seizure of power" and called the plan "a coup attempt of scoundrels."
- Early on June 25, Armenia’s Investigative Committee announced that Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of the Holy Struggle opposition movement, and his associates were planning terrorist acts to seize power.
- On the same day, law enforcement officials detained several opposition and clergy representatives, including Galstanyan.
- A court in Armenia arrested 15 people at the request of Armenia's Investigative Committee on charges of plotting terrorist acts and seizing power. Some of those arrested were members of the Holy Struggle opposition movement and other opposition groups.
- Galstanyan was arrested for two months.