RA Prosecutor`s Office presents evidence of Archbishop Mikael  Ajapahyan`s guilt

ArmInfo.  The decision to initiate a public criminal prosecution against Mikael (Gevorg) Artashesi Ajapahyan on June 26, 2025 was made on the basis of his  public calls to seize power, as stated in a message from the  Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Armenia.

The supervisory body, in particular, referenced the Archbishop's  interview with media representatives  on June 21, 2025, where he  reiterated his statements made on February 3, 2024, regarding the  necessity of carrying a coup d'etat and seizing power in ways not  outlined in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, with the  help of high-ranking military personnel, and emphasized the  importance of a change of power by security forces. The statement  from the Prosecutor General's Office highlights that Mikael  Ajapahyan's calls were not impulsive or thoughtless expressions, but  rather a conscious action that was consistently promoted through  various media channels and information technologies.

 "These statements take anew significance in light of the disclosure  of preparations for an obvious seizure of power and terrorist attacks  by the movement known as "Sacred Struggle." Law enforcement agencies  in Armenia have been conducting operational and investigative  measures against this movement for a long time. Following the  initiation of  public criminal prosecution against the active members  of the above- mentioned group, on June 21, 2025, Ajapahyan once again  publicly called for the seizure of power, the violent overthrow of  the constitutional order, and the unlawful  assumption  of  executive  powers in Armenia. The two above-mentioned statements were posted on  the "youtube.com" platform and have been viewed over 40,000 times. 

In an interview with Gala TV published on various news sites and  social networks on February 3, 2024, Mikael Ajapahyan stated: "I know  only three ways to change power, if you know a fourth, tell me. These  are elections, a coup and a popular uprising. So is it not clear from  my statements over the past six years what I am referring to? How  many times have I openly said that a military coup is needed, I said  it during the war and I said it to Presidents Kocharyan and Serzh?  Well, you, Mr. President Kocharyan, held the presidency for ten  years, and were prime minister before that for a year or two. You  were president of Karabakh all those years. Do you not have a single  general who would support you, share your ideology in the army,  in  the police and in national security, who would come and stand next to  you and carry out a coup? Serzh, you were president, prime minister,  minister of defense, minister of internal affairs, minister of  national security, secretary of national security for more than ten  years, is there any position that you have not held, oh yes, the  president of the chess federation: Do you not have a single general  loyal to you, neither in the police, nor in national security, nor in  the army, who would take to the streets with the slogan "I Have  Honor"? This means that your goals are incapable of changing the  situation. Who better than you knows that these elections will not   bring about any change..." 

In an interview published on June 21, 2025 on the news site  "News.am", Mikael Ajapahyan, in response to a journalist's question,  noted: "I called for a coup to save the country from this madman,  they are not saving it, they are also guilty of all this. This is not  just a call, it must be done. It must be done now, otherwise it will  be too late, but if the security forces are more focused on  protecting their own interests, do not think about this country, the  Republic, the people, let them continue to prioritize  their own  homes..."