Mikael Ajapahyan sentenced to two years in prison - The Mother See  calls the court`s decision politically motivated

ArmInfo.Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian was sentenced to two years in prison. The corresponding decision was made by Judge Armine Meliksetyan. Following  the  announcement of the verdict, those present in the courtroom began  chanting "Shame." The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has called the  judge's decision politically motivated. As the Mother See's press  office emphasized, the judge had violated the fundamental principles  of justice with her decision. "The criminal charges against the head  of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church are one of the  clear manifestations of the authorities' anti-church campaign. The  unjust verdict in Ajapahyan's case is further evidence of political  reprisals, which undermine freedom of speech and religion, prohibit  discrimination, and directly challenge to democracy," the Armenian  Apostolic Church (AAC) noted.

The Mother See of Etchmiadzin also stated that it intends to use  legal means, including international ones, to restore the legitimate  rights of Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan. In response to the court's  decision, Turkologist Varuzhan Geghamyan wrote: "Mikael Ajapahyan is  a political prisoner. The archbishop is being tried by people who  have neither merit nor soul. And the longer we stay silent, the more  the 'Turkish dictatorship' will continue to destroy our state one by  one."

The Turkologist also expressed his conviction that all of this was  possible because the Armenian people have forgiven the current  government for the loss of Artsakh, which was a collective symbol of  all that is virtuous and noble.