Armenian court indicts church leader, Pashinyan amid feud

Armenia will put the head of the country’s 1,700-year-old Apostolic Church and six other clerics on trial Friday, accusing them of defying a civil court order to reinstate a defrocked bishop.

The trial begins at the Armavir Regional Court in Vagharshapat, Armenia’s spiritual capital. The seven defendants face up to two years in prison if convicted of failing to comply with a court ruling. The dispute centers on Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, who was removed in January for alleged abuse of authority. Saroyan is a vocal supporter of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has publicly backed his reinstatement and called for the resignation of Catholicos Karekin II, the Church’s supreme leader.

Pashinyan and Karekin have traded sharp accusations in recent months. The prime minister has repeatedly accused the Church of spying for Russia without providing evidence, while the Catholicos denies any wrongdoing. The feud escalated after Armenia ceded territory in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to Azerbaijan in 2023, a move Karekin blamed on Pashinyan. The prime minister has also made personal attacks, alleging Karekin violated his vow of celibacy, a claim the Church dismisses as baseless.

Opposition figures, church officials and human rights groups argue the trial is politically motivated, part of a broader effort by Pashinyan’s government to silence critics. Anna Melikyan, a lawyer with the Armenian NGO Protection of Rights Without Borders, called the case a direct violation of the Church’s constitutional independence. “This is clear interference by the executive branch in church affairs,” she said. “There are serious concerns about judicial independence in Armenia, especially in politically sensitive cases involving the church or clergy.”

The outcome could further strain public trust in Armenia’s legal and political institutions. Critics warn that prosecuting a religious leader for defying a court order sets a dangerous precedent, risking deeper divisions in a country still grappling with the fallout of war and territorial loss. With tensions showing no sign of easing, the trial may deepen the rift between the government and one of Armenia’s most trusted institutions.