Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government has intensified a sustained campaign against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, culminating in a landmark criminal trial that began with a preliminary hearing on August 7, 2026. Karekin II and six senior archbishops and bishops face charges of intentionally obstructing a civil court order, in what critics describe as the most direct state effort yet to force the removal of the Church’s leadership.
The defendants—Catholicos Karekin II, Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Archbishop Haykazun Najaryan, Bishop Vahan Hovhannisyan, Bishop Makar Hakobyan, Bishop Moushegh Babayan, and Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan—are accused of abusing their official positions to defy a court ruling that temporarily reinstated Bishop Gevorg Saroyan (secular name Arman Saroyan) as head of the Masyatsotn Diocese. They risk up to two years in prison if convicted.
In a historic first for modern Armenia, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II (also known as Garegin II), the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is set to stand trial alongside six senior archbishops and bishops.
The preliminary hearing is scheduled for today August 7, 2026, at the Armavir Region Court of First Instance in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin). The defendants face charges of intentionally obstructing the enforcement of a lawful court decision by abusing their official positions, with a potential sentence of up to two years in prison if convicted.
This Article sponsored by:
November 30 – December 7 – 2026
