Armenian court approves linguistic expert review in Archbishop Ajapahian’s case

A Yerevan court has granted a motion to involve independent linguistic experts in the ongoing criminal case against Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian, Primate of the Diocese of Shirak of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in a development that could prove pivotal to the defense.

Judge Armine Meliksetyan ruled in favor of the defense’s request to examine whether Ajapahian’s controversial public remarks—made during a 2023 interview—constitute incitement to overthrow the government, as alleged by the prosecution, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The defense presented expert testimony from two linguists, who concluded that the archbishop’s statements lacked any language that could be construed as a call for regime change. The legal team also argued that the same expressions, repeated in 2024, formed the basis for the current indictment, raising concerns about inconsistent legal interpretation.

“The state has no right to apply different legal standards to identical actions based solely on the year in which they occurred,” defense attorneys asserted, claiming the charges represent selective prosecution.

The prosecution, however, dismissed the relevance of the 2023 interview footage, questioning the qualifications of the linguistic experts and insisting the video had no bearing on the present charges.

Despite the prosecution’s objections, the court agreed to admit the 2023 video into evidence and authorized the involvement of the experts cited by the defense.

Ajapahian was detained on June 27, and a court order issued overnight on June 28 placed him under a two-month arrest pending further investigation. He was formally charged on June 29.

By Vafa Guliyeva