Armenian church leader to go on trial in widening confrontation with government
The seven defendants face up to two years in prison over allegations they defied a court order to reinstate a defrocked bishop, officials said.
- On Friday, Catholicos Karekin II and six senior clerics went on trial for failing to comply with a court order to reinstate defrocked Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, facing up to two years in prison if convicted.
- The legal dispute stems from the Church's refusal to comply with a court mandate reinstating Saroyan, whom leadership defrocked in January for alleged abuse; Saroyan had publicly aligned himself with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
- Tigran Grigoryan, director of the Regional Centre for Democracy and Security, argues Pashinyan views the Apostolic Church as a 'political threat' that could support opposition parties to come to power.
- Critics allege a pattern of selective justice in Armenia, noting that cleric Bagrat Galstanyan currently faces trial or house arrest, while an archbishop received a two-year prison sentence in October.
- Observers express significant concerns regarding judicial independence in Armenia, warning that "this is a clear interference of the executive power in church affairs" regarding politically sensitive cases.
24 Articles
24 Articles
In Armenia, the highest leader of the church appeared in court on Friday. In the background, a bitter struggle between church and state is playing out and the...
Armenian Church leader faces historic trial amid feud with pro-Western PM
Nikol Pashinyan’s government is increasingly at odds with the country’s clergy, accusing them of political meddling, coup plots, and foreign intelligence links Armenia has begun a historic trial of the head of the dominant Apostolic Church (AAC), Catholicos Karekin II, for allegedly defying a civil court order temporarily reinstating a bishop. The case marks the...
An unprecedented process in the successor states of the Soviet Union: Armenia's Orthodox head of the church is accused. The reason: Karekin II is said to have gone beyond the secular court.
The Toronto Star
The leader of Armenia’s Apostolic Church faces trial amid a feud with the government
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — The head of the influential Armenian Apostolic Church appeared in court Friday for a trial on criminal charges as part of its latest confrontation with the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The leader of Armenia's Apostolic Church faces trial amid a feud with the government
The head of the influential Armenian Apostolic Church has appeared in court for a trial on criminal charges in the latest confrontation with the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
His authority is actually unchallenged, even beyond the borders of his homeland. The fact that Armenia's head of the Church is now on trial is a unique process - and the culmination of a long-standing dispute.
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