Armenia launches criminal case against Catholicos Garegin II

A criminal case has been initiated against Garegin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, with authorities prohibiting him from leaving the country, Sputnik Armenia reports.

The information was shared by his lawyer, Ara Zohrabyan, on social media.

According to Zohrabyan, the Catholicos is accused of obstructing the execution of a court order related to the defrocking of Arman Saroyan. Earlier, six senior church hierarchs faced charges in the same case and were also barred from leaving Armenia.

The lawyer stated that the prosecution’s decision is directly linked to attempts by authorities to disrupt the upcoming Bishops’ Council scheduled to take place in Austria. He described the charges against Garegin II as “historic and shameful,” calling them a direct interference in the internal affairs of the Armenian Church.

The dispute stems from Saroyan’s lawsuit against the Armenian Church, in which he demanded the annulment of Garegin II’s patriarchal decree removing him from his position as head of his diocese and sought reinstatement. On January 16, court bailiffs issued an order preventing the church from obstructing Saroyan’s activities as diocesan head while the case is ongoing.