“Holy Struggle” movement at centre of Armenian coup probe, 15 arrested

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has confirmed the arrest of 15 individuals in connection with an alleged military coup attempt in the country.

Among those detained is Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of the nationalist “Holy Struggle” movement, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The arrests were made following large-scale searches carried out on June 25 at the residences of Galstanyan and his associates. The court granted all motions filed by the investigation, ordering the detention of the suspects.

The Investigative Committee reported that searches uncovered a number of flammable items allegedly intended for damaging electric cables and disrupting internet communications—evidence the authorities claim supports the accusation of preparing acts of terrorism as part of a broader coup attempt.

“Fifteen people have already been arrested in the case of attempted armed seizure of power in Armenia,” the Committee stated.

However, questions have already been raised regarding the accuracy of the investigation. Lawyer Alexander Kochubaev took to social media to claim that his client, Armen Aleksanyan, was mistakenly arrested due to an error in interpreting phone call data.

“Investigators, intentionally or not, made a blunder when studying phone conversations and attributed the actions of another person to my client,” Kochubaev wrote.

On June 25, the Investigative Committee announced that members of the “Holy Struggle” movement had been preparing terrorist acts aimed at seizing state power. Authorities say their actions posed a serious threat to national stability.

By Vafa Guliyeva