18:59, 29 September 2025

The prosecutor requested a 2.5-year prison sentence for Archbishop Ajapakhian.

The prosecution requested a sentence of two years and six months in prison for Mikael Ajapayan, the Primate of the Shirak Diocese, on charges of inciting a coup d'état. The court deferred the decision on Ajapayan's sentence.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in early September, a Yerevan court extended the pretrial detention of Mikael Ajapayan, the Primate of the Shirak Diocese, for another month. He is accused of inciting a coup d'état. On September 24, the court announced its general verdict finding Ajapayan guilty. The Archbishop denied the charges.

On June 27, security forces detained the Primate of the Shirak Diocese, Mikael Ajapayan (also referred to in the media as Mikael Ajapakhyan), who voluntarily surrendered to the Investigative Committee. He was charged with calling for the seizure of power, which carries a sentence of two to five years in prison. The attempt to detain the Archbishop of the Armenian Church led to a standoff between security forces and believers.

At today's additional hearing in Mikael Ajapayan's case, the court planned to announce the final sentence for the Archbishop. The prosecutor filed a motion in the trial, demanding a two-year, six-month prison sentence for Ajapayan, News.am reports.

The archbishop's defense, in turn, challenged Judge Armine Meliksetyan. According to lawyer Ara Zohrabyan, after the verdict was announced on September 24, the judge, in violation of the law, failed to notify the parties of their right to file motions before the next hearing. "We are inclined to claim that the judge is discriminatory toward Archbishop Mikael," the lawyer stated.

Lawyer Yerem Sargsyan called the prosecutor's demand "exceptional," recalling that Ajapayan was charged with a moderate crime. The article under which the court found him guilty carries five different penalties, including a fine, community service, and restriction of liberty, but the prosecutor is demanding the strictest of these—imprisonment, Sargsyan said, according to "Golos Armenii."

The motion to recuse the judge was denied, and the court postponed the announcement of the final decision on Mikael Ajapayan's sentence and terms until October 3.

For more information on the case of Ajapayan and other political opponents of the current government, see the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Main Thing About Political Arrests in Armenia in Summer 2025".

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Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/415861