The Armenian court changed the measure of detention to the head of the Shirak diocese to house arrest

ArmInfo. The Armenian Court of Appeals has changed the pretrial detention order for Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhian, head of the Shirak Diocese, to house arrest.

As a reminder, Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhian was found guilty of "publicly calling for the overthrow of the government in the country" and sentenced to two years in prison on October 3, 2025. The cleric denies any wrongdoing.

According to the court's decision, the archbishop will serve his house arrest at his residence in Gyumri and, if necessary, at a medical center. Furthermore, the court allowed his nephew and close relatives to visit him, while the issue of Ajapakhian's participation in liturgies has been postponed for now.

Earlier, the Armenian Prosecutor General's Office petitioned to reconsider the archbishop's pretrial detention order from two years to two years and six months. Ajapakhyan was arrested on June 28, 2025, by decision of the Yerevan Court of First Instance. It is noteworthy that these calls were made two years ago and were deemed not to constitute a crime by the Armenian National Security Service. The Armenian public, as well as independent experts, have no doubt that the persecution of Ajapakhyan by the authorities, who have declared war on the Armenian Apostolic Church, is politically motivated.