Armenia’s widening political rift escalated as a bishop and a dozen clergymen from the Armenian Apostolic Church were taken into custody amid tensions with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration.
According to Armenia’s Investigative Committee, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan of the Diocese of Aragatsotn faces charges that include coercing citizens to attend public gatherings, obstructing electoral rights, and abusing his office to commit large-scale theft, allegations reported by The Associated Press.
Officials say the inquiry into Proshyan began in September after a fellow priest accused church leaders of pressuring members to participate in anti-government protests in 2021 and alleged corruption within the diocese.
Twelve additional clergymen from the same diocese were detained, though their present status has not been made public.
The Armenian Apostolic Church condemned the detentions, denouncing them as part of a “systematic campaign” to interfere in church affairs.
These charges follow a broader sweep targeting Apostolic clergy and opposition figures, including September’s high-profile sentencing of Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan. He was convicted of calling for the overthrow of the government and handed a two-year prison term.
Church leaders likewise criticized that verdict, calling it “one of the clear manifestations of the authorities’ anti-church campaign.”
The case against Ajapahyan stems from an interview more than a year ago in which he was quoted as saying there is a “need for a coup,” according to the Armenian outlet CivilNet, which also noted the Prosecutor General’s Office had initially reviewed the remarks and found they did not warrant prosecution.
Another prominent critic, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan—who leads the Sacred Struggle opposition movement—was arrested earlier this year on accusations of plotting to topple the government, claims his legal team has dismissed as fabricated.
Pashinyan has repeatedly accused Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, of violating his celibacy vow and has urged him to resign. Proshyan is the nephew of Karekin II.
Armenia and predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan, led by long‑time President Ilham Aliyev, continue reconciliation efforts after decades of conflict amid a deepening political divide. Both nations have contested the Nagorno-Karabakh region since the early 1990s following the Soviet Union’s collapse.
The central point of contention is that the church opposes Pashinyan's territorial concessions to Azerbaijan — specifically the handover of several Armenian border villages and the normalization of relations following the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh offensive.
Many priests, including those associated with the Sacred Struggle movement, have publicly resisted the handover, viewing it as a betrayal of Armenia’s national and religious identity. Church leaders have also criticized Pashinyan’s leadership and what they see as efforts to consolidate power at the expense of institutions such as the Apostolic Church.
