The prosecutor in the case of Karekin II has resigned.

Prosecutor Khachatur Galstyan, who represented the prosecution's position in the case of the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and the bishops, submitted a resignation letter and left the service.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 4, the third judge - Vaagn Melikyan - refused to consider the criminal case against the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six bishops. The issue of jurisdiction has been transferred to the Cassation Court. At the end of August, Judge Serge Rushanyan decided to transfer the case against the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops to the Yerevan City Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction to determine the feasibility of considering this case in the Armavir court. The judge used the theory of jurisdiction to evade a complex case, lawyers stated.

Prosecutor Khachatur Galstyan in the case of the Supreme Patriarch and the bishops wrote a resignation letter and left his job, reports "Fifth Channel" today.

According to sources from the channel, "initially, the leadership of the prosecutor's office told Galstyan that the case was hopeless, it would be terminated at the preliminary investigation stage, and he would not have to publicly defend the accusation in court." "But the case was sent to court and Galstyan was faced with the fact: either write a resignation letter and leave, or go to court, defend an illegal accusation, and discredit himself in the eyes of the professional community and the people," the report states.

The prosecutor's office confirmed that Khachatur Galstyan no longer works, having left based on his own statement, but added that his departure is not related to the case of His Holiness, as noted in the publication.

The conflict between the authorities of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Church has been ongoing since 2018, when Pashinyan came to power. This conflict became evident against the backdrop of the 2020 Karabakh war and the authorities' desire to establish relations with Turkey, analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot" pointed out.

In May 2025, Nikol Pashinyan sharply criticized the church, and in response to the objections of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, he replied with insults on Facebook*. Armenian politicians and church representatives demanded an apology from Pashinyan for insulting the church.

More about the persecution of political opponents of the current authorities in Armenia can be read in the "Caucasian Knot" reference "Main points about political arrests in Armenia in the summer of 2025".