Armenian security service detains bishop Ajapahian amidst church-state tensions VIDEO

The Primate of the Diocese of Shirak of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian, was detained today by units of the Armenian National Security Service (NSS).

As law enforcement officers took Ajapahian into custody, the Archbishop addressed reporters, affirming his willingness to cooperate despite denouncing the ongoing actions as “lawlessness,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

“I have not been hiding anywhere and I’m not going to do it,” Ajapahian, stated. “I am not a threat to the state; the threat lies within the government. Those acting on behalf of a madman are inciting violence… I am going with them, and the clerics will follow me.”

This arrest follows the initiation of criminal proceedings against Ajapahian, which were announced earlier this month. Authorities previously conducted searches at his residence in Gyumri. At the time, Ajapakhyan was attending a meeting of priests in Etchmiadzin, where law enforcement subsequently moved to detain him.

In a related development, on June 25, the Investigative Committee announced the foiling of planned terrorist activities aimed at seizing power in Armenia by members of a group known as the “Holy Struggle.” Law enforcement officers conducted extensive searches at the residences of Bagrat Galstyan, leader of the revanchist movement, and his associates. Subsequently, a court ordered their detention pending further investigation.

By Vafa Guliyeva