Armenian Church Leader, Six Bishops Face Trial as State Confrontation Deepens

YEREVAN, Armenia—The criminal trial of Catholicos Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and six senior bishops is set to begin Aug. 7 at the Armavir Region First Instance Court, marking a sharp escalation in the church-state dispute that has gripped Armenia for months.

Prosecutors charged Archbishop Galstanyan, a leader of the Holy Struggle movement, and others in June with alleged terrorist attacks and an attempted coup d'etat, following raids on the homes of Holy Struggle members and the arrests of several high-ranking clerics.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has rejected the prosecutions as politically motivated attacks on its authority. The government says its actions are grounded in law enforcement investigations.

The confrontation has also exposed divisions within the clergy. One faction of senior bishops has publicly called on Catholicos Karekin II to resign, while a conference of 25 bishops from around the world issued a statement of support for him and criticized the government's prosecution of the church.

Forum 18, an independent human rights organization, said the criminal trial of the seven bishops violates the church's right of autonomy.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is central to the country's cultural and historical identity. The trial of its supreme spiritual leader poses a direct challenge to its institutional independence.

The Armenian Apostolic Church has rejected the prosecutions as politically motivated attacks on its authority. The government says its actions are grounded in law enforcement investigations.

Forum 18, an independent human rights organization, said the criminal trial of the seven bishops violates the church's right of autonomy.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is central to the country's cultural and historical identity. The trial of its supreme spiritual leader poses a direct challenge to its institutional independence.