Armenian archbishop transferred to Yerevan-Kentron penitentiary

Armenian Archbishop Mikael Adjapahian has been transferred to the Yerevan-Kentron detention centre, his lawyer Yerem Sarkisyan confirmed on June 29.

“We initially thought that the Archbishop had been transferred to the ‘Nubarashen’ correctional facility, but a few hours ago we found out that he was taken to the Yerevan-Kentron National Security Service [NSS] detention center. People are held there in conditions of greater isolation, and since Adjapahian’s case has become a matter of national significance, he was taken there,” the lawyer told Armenian media, Caliber.Az reports.

Adjapahian was detained on the evening of June 27 and later charged with publicly inciting the overthrow of the government. A Yerevan court ruled in the early hours of June 28 to hold him in custody for two months pending further investigation.

The archbishop's detention is part of a wider investigation launched by Armenia’s Investigative Committee, which on June 25 announced it had disrupted a plot to seize power through planned terrorist activity. Authorities have linked the alleged plot to members of the “Holy Struggle” group, including the group leader Bagrat Galstyan, who, along with several associates, has also been placed in pre-trial detention.

Before his arrest, law enforcement conducted a search of Adjapahian’s residence in Gyumri. However, the archbishop was reportedly attending a gathering of priests in Etchmiadzin at the time.

By Sabina Mammadli