The Armenian government has initiated legal proceedings against Catholicos Karekin II, the spiritual leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with six other clergy members. The trial is scheduled to commence on Friday at the Armavir Regional Court in Vagharshapat, Armenia’s spiritual capital. The defendants face charges of failing to comply with a civil court order requiring the reinstatement of Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, with potential sentences of up to two years imprisonment if found guilty.
The Church defrocked Saroyan in January on grounds of abuse of authority and dereliction of duties. Saroyan maintains close ties to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and both men have publicly called for Karekin’s resignation. This legal action represents an intensification of longstanding tensions between Pashinyan and the Church leadership, which has been critical of the prime minister’s management of regional conflicts and territorial arrangements.
Karekin has been a vocal critic of Pashinyan’s governance, particularly regarding decisions related to Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan has alleged that Karekin and the Church maintain intelligence connections to Russia, though he has not furnished supporting evidence. The Church denies these accusations. Additionally, Pashinyan has made personal allegations against Karekin concerning violations of celibacy vows.
Human rights advocates and legal experts have characterized the prosecution as politically motivated retaliation against a prominent critic of the government. Anna Melikyan, representing a local human rights organization, described the case as unconstitutional interference in church independence. Legal observers have raised broader concerns about judicial independence in Armenia, noting that politically sensitive cases involving critics of the administration have prompted heightened scrutiny regarding the fairness and autonomy of the legal process.
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