Yerevan court decides to keep revenge-seeking priest behind bars

The court in Yerevan has decided to extend the detention of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of the revanchist movement “Holy Struggle” and accused of plotting terrorist acts and attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, for three more months.

“The court believes that at this stage of the preliminary investigation, the accused’s detention should be extended for three months,” said Judge Karen Farhoyan, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The "Holy Struggle" movement, also known as "Tavush for the Homeland," emerged in mid-2024 as a response to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s policies, particularly his territorial concessions to Azerbaijan following the 2020 Karabakh war and the total loss of the region in 2023. Galstanyan, as the primate of the Tavush Diocese, opposed the handover of border villages in Tavush Province, rallying public discontent against Pashinyan’s government.

Galstanyan led large-scale anti-government protests starting in May 2024, including a 250-kilometre march from Tavush to Yerevan to demand Pashinyan’s resignation. These protests gained significant support from opposition groups and the Armenian Apostolic Church, deepening the rift between the government and the church.

On June 25, Armenian authorities arrested Galstanyan and 14 others, accusing them of plotting a violent coup and terrorist acts. The Investigative Committee of Armenia alleged that the group had recruited approximately 1,000 individuals, including former soldiers and police officers, to form strike groups aimed at destabilising the country through road blockages, violence, and disruptions to power and internet services. Authorities claimed to have found firearms, incendiary devices, and a list of potential government appointees during raids on the suspects’ homes. 

On June 26, a Yerevan court approved a two-month pre-trial detention for Galstanyan, charging him with conspiracy to commit terrorism, organising mass disturbances, and plotting to seize power. His lawyer, Hovhannes Khudoyan, announced plans to appeal, describing the charges as politically motivated.

By Khagan Isayev