October 3 will be remembered as one of the most disgraceful and turbulent days in the contemporary history of the Armenian people — a day when justice was subverted, and the dignity of the Armenian Apostolic Church was openly trampled by those who have turned state institutions into instruments of political vengeance. On that day, the “pocket court” serving the will of the man occupying the chair of the prime minister of the Republic of Armenia sentenced Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, Primate of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to two years in prison, counting the term from the moment of his detention — June 26. The sentence was read by judge Armine Meliksetyan of the Yerevan First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction, who announced the verdict amid a wave of protest. The courtroom erupted in outrage; chants of “Shame!” filled the air as those present witnessed the judge’s hasty departure, condemning yet another display of judicial servility in a country where the rule of law has long been eclipsed by political expediency.

Archbishop Ajapahyan’s prosecution was initiated under Article 422, Part 2 of the Criminal Code — public calls aimed at the usurpation of power. His lawyers insist the two-year sentence was a “commissioned act,” a premeditated political order executed under the guise of law. As attorney Ara Zohrabyan pointed out, “Archbishop Mikayel is charged under Article 422, Part 2, yet during the announcement of the verdict, the judge cited Article 442, Part 2 — a completely unrelated provision concerning the unlawful participation of an official in entrepreneurial activities committed in collusion.”

According to Zohrabyan, the Archbishop’s remarks, which have been misrepresented as “calls”, were merely his reflections on past events — an interpretation of what had already occurred — and thus could not, by any legal or linguistic standard, constitute a call to action. The defense has announced plans to appeal the verdict in the Court of Appeals of Armenia and to submit a petition to the European Court of Human Rights concerning the Archbishop’s arrest. Archbishop Ajapahyan has firmly rejected the accusations, describing the case as a politically motivated fabrication intended to intimidate dissenting voices and weaken the Church ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

It has become unmistakably clear that the fabricated criminal cases against Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, Primate of the Shirak Diocese, and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, former Primate of the Tavush Diocese, are neither isolated incidents nor the result of overzealous legalism. They are part of a broader anti-church campaign directed by the authorities — a deliberate effort to discredit the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and to undermine His Holiness Garegin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, whose relations with the Prime Minister have been marked by deep and enduring tension.

The Armenian Church, whose spirit and endurance have shaped the nation’s identity for more than seventeen centuries, has endured countless trials — invasions, persecutions, and ideological assaults — yet it has never faltered. Time and again, it has risen from the ashes of oppression to stand as the moral compass and spiritual stronghold of the Armenian people. Today’s persecution of its high-ranking clergy evokes bitter memories of the Soviet era, particularly of the dark years of Stalin’s rule, when faith itself was treated as an enemy of the state. The parallels with the present are striking. Once again, under the banner of “reform” and “civil renewal,” those who came to power in 2018 — the so-called “Civil Contract miscreants” — have weaponized state institutions to silence moral authority and erase dissent. What we are witnessing is not merely a crisis of governance; it is an assault on the very foundations of freedom of thought, speech, and belief in Armenia.

“Is there a single judge in Armenia today who can disobey the prime minister?” — these were Nikol Pashinyan’s own words at the dawn of his rule. Seven and a half years later, the system he once denounced has not been improved. Moreover, he has succeeded in concentrating all branches of power — legislative, executive, and judicial — into his personal orbit, cultivating a regime that thrives on fear and obedience. Judge Armine Meliksetyan is only one among many functionaries compelled to follow orders rather than uphold justice, an emblem of a judiciary that has surrendered its independence — — pending the next in a series of prime-ministerial instructions sent infamously by text message.

“Hayatsk Yerevanits” Journal