Latest news with #ApostolicChurch
Observer
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Observer
Police, clergy scuffle in Armenia as standoff escalates
YEREVAN: A scuffle broke out in Armenia on Friday between clergymen and police, part of an escalating standoff between the influential Church and the Caucasian nation's authorities. The Two sides have been at loggerheads since Catholicos Garegin II — the church's spiritual leader — began calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over Armenia's military defeat to Azerbaijan in 2020. The loss of the disputed Karabakh region to Azerbaijan in 2023, Armenia's arch-foe, has divided the country and escalated the dispute. On Wednesday, the Armenian authorities said they had foiled a coup plot involving a senior cleric who had rallied opposition to Pashinyan and more than a dozen other suspects. The latest confrontation erupted after police arrived at the residence of the head of the Apostolic Church to arrest another senior figure, archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan. He is accused of publicly calling for the government to be overthrown. Masked police attempted to enter the residence of Garegin II to arrest Adjapahyan. Prosecutors had earlier charged him with "public calls aimed at seizing power... and violently overthrowing the constitutional order". Following the scuffle between priests and law enforcement officers, Adjapahyan said he would surrender to police but denied any wrongdoing. "This is a blatant act of lawlessness against me," he said. "I have never been a threat to our country. The real threat sits in government. I won't hide. I'll go with them." But locals and priests closed the gates of the residence, preventing Adjapahyan from leaving the premises and surrendering to police. Armenia's security service said it would deploy additional forces to detain Adjapahyan. Earlier this month, Pashinyan escalated the feud with the church by accusing Garegin II of fathering an illegitimate child and urging believers to oust him. That prompted calls for Pashinyan to be excommunicated. An Armenian court put an influential cleric into two months of pre-trial detention on coup attempt charges, a day after authorities claimed to have foiled a plot to overthrow the government. On Thursday, "a court of general jurisdiction in Yerevan decided to send Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan to a pre-trial detention for a period of two months," one of his lawyers, Hovhannes Khudoyan, told journalists. Armenia's Investigative Committee said the court granted motions for pre-trial detention for all the detained, adding that "15 suspects have been placed in custody". Later on Thursday, Armenia's prosecutor general office announced it had opened a criminal case against another senior cleric. — AFP
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Armenia church-police clash escalates over political tensions
YEREVAN: A scuffle broke out in Armenia on Friday between clergymen and police, part of an escalating standoff between the influential Church and the Caucasian nation's authorities. Two sides have been at loggerheads since Catholicos Garegin II -- the church's spiritual leader -- began calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over Armenia's military defeat to Azerbaijan in 2020. The loss of the disputed Karabakh region to Azerbaijan in 2023, Armenia's arch-foe, has divided the country and escalated the dispute. On Wednesday, the Armenian authorities said they had foiled a coup plot involving a senior cleric who had rallied opposition to Pashinyan and more than a dozen other suspects. The latest confrontation erupted after police arrived at the residence of the head of the Apostolic Church to arrest another senior figure, archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan. He is accused of publicly calling for the government to be overthrown. Masked police attempted to enter the residence of Garegin II to arrest Adjapahyan. Prosecutors had earlier charged him with 'public calls aimed at seizing power... and violently overthrowing the constitutional order'. Following the scuffle between priests and law enforcement officers, Adjapahyan said he would surrender to police but denied any wrongdoing. 'This is a blatant act of lawlessness against me,' he said. 'I have never been a threat to our country. The real threat sits in government. I won't hide. I'll go with them.' But locals and priests closed the gates of the residence, preventing Adjapahyan from leaving the premises and surrendering to police. Armenia's security service said it would deploy additional forces to detain Adjapahyan. Earlier this month, Pashinyan escalated the feud with the church by accusing Garegin II of fathering an illegitimate child and urging believers to oust him. That prompted calls for Pashinyan to be excommunicated.
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Armenia foils ‘coup plot,' arrests clergy
Armenia's security services arrested one of the country's top religious leaders on terrorism charges on Wednesday and accused him of plotting to overthrow the government, the second arrest in a week of a prominent political opponent. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a major figure in the influential Apostolic Church, was arrested by Armenia's Investigative Committee, which accused him of planning to carry out bombings and arson attacks to disrupt power supplies and stage accidents on major roads to paralyze traffic. His lawyer described the charges as 'fiction.' Galstanyan leads the Sacred Struggle opposition movement and has demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was the focus of protests last year by tens of thousands of demonstrators after Armenia agreed to hand over control of several border villages to bitter rival Azerbaijan and to normalise relations between the neighbours. Pashinyan wrote on social media that the security services had foiled a plot by 'the criminal oligarch clergy to destabilise Armenia and take power.' Officials said 13 others also were detained amid raids by police on the homes of dozens of opposition activists. The Investigative Committee said it carried out over 90 searches and recovered evidence that included firearms and ammunition. In addition to disputing the charges, Galstanyan's lawyer, Sergei Harutyunyan, said police searched the cleric's residence for six hours but found only smoke bombs that are commonly used at protests in Armenia. 'They spent time studying every room, every closet, every letter; they recorded everything,' Harutyunyan said. Galstanyan leads the Tavush Diocese in northeastern Armenia and spearheaded a movement that opposed the handover of the villages in the country, which was once part of the Soviet Union. Although the territorial concession was the movement's core issue, it has expanded to a wide array of complaints about Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018. The decision to turn over the villages followed a lightning military campaign in September 2023, in which Azerbaijan's military forced ethnic Armenian separatists in the Karabakh region to capitulate. Attempts to impeach Pashinyan were unsuccessful, but the relationship between him and the Apostolic Church has deteriorated. Associated Press
The Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Armenia jails senior cleric pending trial on coup plot charges
YEREVAN: An Armenian court on Thursday sent an influential cleric into a two-month pre-trial detention on coup attempt charges, a day after authorities claimed to foil a plot to overthrow the government. Authorities on Wednesday arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a charismatic senior church figure opposing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, along with other 14 suspects, part of a large-scale crackdown on Galstanyan's Sacred Struggle movement. On Thursday, 'a court of general jurisdiction in Yerevan decided to send Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan to a pre-trial detention for a period of two months,' one of his lawyers, Hovhannes Khudoyan, told journalists. Galstanyan emerged as a key opposition figure last year after accusing Pashinyan of making unacceptable concessions to Armenia's arch-rival Azerbaijan, leading mass protests against the prime minister, however failing to achieve a shift in politics. Armenia has been deeply divided since its defeat in the 2023 war with Azerbaijan over the disputed Karabakh region, which has led to exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Pashinyan has since faced backlash over his efforts to normalise ties with Baku, including ceding border areas, a move critics call capitulation -- as Azerbaijan has demanded sweeping concessions in exchange for lasting peace. Galstanyan, aligned with the Apostolic Church's influential head, Catholicos Garegin II, stepped down from clerical duties last year to challenge Pashinyan for the premiership, but his dual Armenian-Canadian citizenship bars him from holding office. This month, Pashinyan escalated the feud with the Church by accusing Garegin II -- who is calling for his resignation -- of fathering an illegitimate child and urging believers to oust him, prompting calls for Pashinyan's excommunication. The Armenian Apostolic Church wields considerable influence in the Caucasus country, which in the fourth century became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Pashinyan, a former journalist and lawmaker who came to power after protests, remains firmly in control thanks to a parliamentary majority and weak, fragmented opposition forces.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Foiled ‘sinister' coup plot by senior cleric of Church, says Armenia PM
Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday (June 25, 2025) that the security forces had foiled a coup plot involving a senior cleric, the latest twist in his escalating conflict with the powerful Apostolic Church. Mr. Pashinyan has been at loggerheads with the Church since its head, Catholicos Garegin II, began calling for his resignation following Armenia's disastrous 2020 military defeat to arch-foe Azerbaijan over the then-disputed Karabakh region. The dispute escalated after Baku seized full control of the region in 2023. Mr. Pashinyan started pushing an unpopular peace deal with Azerbaijan that would essentially renounce Yerevan's claims to a region many Armenians see as their ancestral homeland. 'Law enforcement officers have foiled a large-scale and sinister plan by the 'criminal-oligarchic clergy' to destabilise the situation in the Republic of Armenia and seize power,' Mr. Pashinyan wrote on his Telegram channel early Wednesday (June 25, 2025). The authorities arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a charismatic senior church figure trying to rally opposition to Mr. Pashinyan, accusing him of trying to mastermind the attempted coup. 'Since November 2024 (he) set himself the goal of changing power by means not permitted by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia,' said the Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes. The Apostolic Church wields considerable influence in Armenia, which in the fourth century became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Home raids Galstanyan, who leads the opposition movement Sacred Struggle, last year accused Mr. Pashinyan of ceding territory to Azerbaijan and led mass protests that ultimately failed to topple the prime minister. His lawyer, Ruben Melikyan, condemned the case as politically motivated. He told reporters the archbishop 'acts independently' and said case materials showed no connection to the Church. The Investigative Committee said it had arrested 14 people and launched criminal proceedings against 16 suspects after raids of more than 90 premises in a case related to Galstanyan's Sacred Struggle movement. Publishing photos of guns and ammunition found during a series of raids, it alleged that Galstanyan had 'acquired the necessary means and tools to carry out terrorist acts and seize power'. It also released covert recordings suggesting Galstanyan and his allies had called to execute officials, imprison opponents, and suppress any resistance by force. 'We either kill, or we die,' said a man, whose voice was said to resemble that of Galstanyan, in one of the clips. Galstanyan's legal team said it expected he would be 'charged with terrorism and attempted seizure of power.' The website published footage showing Galstanyan leaving his house accompanied by masked police officers, who escorted him into a car and drove him away. 'Evil, listen carefully — whatever you do, you have very little time left. Hold on, we are coming,' he said, apparently addressing Mr. Pashinyan, A crowd of supporters outside shouted, 'Nikol is a traitor!'
