Prosecution of Garegin II aimed at preventing his participation in  episcopal meeting in Austria 

ArmInfo.The Investigative Committee of Armenia opened a criminal case following the decision of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II to defrock Bishop Gevorg Saroyan. The purpose of this case is to prevent the Armenian Patriarch from leaving the country to participate in the Episcopal  Assembly scheduled for February 16-19 in St. Polten, Austria. Lawyer Ruben Melikyan announced this live on Facebook.

He recalled that the Episcopal Assembly in Austria was announced in  advance due to the impossibility of holding it in the Mother See of  Etchmiadzin amid the Armenian authorities' attacks on the Armenian  Apostolic Church (AAC). The lawyer explained that this decision was  made to organize a discussion of issues important to the Church  without the risk of further arrests and detentions. "By an  interesting coincidence, yesterday the Investigative Committee of  Armenia opened a criminal case following the decision of Catholicos  of All Armenians Garegin II to defrock Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, who had  joined Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's anti-church campaign.  Previously, bishops who supported Pashinyan issued a statement  declaring the inadmissibility of holding the meeting outside Armenia,  citing unfounded reasons," the lawyer noted.

He further noted that the criminal case was initiated under Part 2 of  Article 507 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, which concerns failure  to enforce a judicial decision or obstruction of its enforcement  through the use of official authority. Recalling the inadmissibility  of such a step, the lawyer noted that this article implies a minor  offense, punishable by imprisonment for up to two years, and, in the  case of a first-time offender, does not imply imprisonment at all.  "This is a special message, and its purpose, as I have already  stated, is to impose a travel ban on Catholicos of All Armenians  Garegin II and members of the Supreme Spiritual Council. This is  another tool of the dictatorial regime, which hinders the normal  functioning of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the convening of the  Episcopal Assembly," Melikyan asserted.

The lawyer emphasized that these actions by the Armenian  Investigative Committee once again demonstrate that the court, the  Investigative Committee, and other government bodies are obeying  exclusively the instructions of the current authorities, essentially  violating the Armenian Constitution, which stipulates the separation  of Church and state. "All legal acts must be based on the  Constitution; unconstitutional actions are prohibited. I also expect  searches. In the current situation, everyone should consider whether  they are ready to once again stand up for the Armenian Apostolic  Church and demonstrate their support for it," the human rights  activist concluded.

As a reminder, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan launched a  broad anti-church campaign in May 2025, demanding the resignation of  the Catholicos of All Armenians. As part of this campaign, several  clergy members were arrested. Moreover, a group of bishops joined  Pashinyan in demanding the resignation of the Catholicos of All  Armenians. In this regard, on December 1, the Catholicos of All  Armenians announced the convening of a bishops' assembly on December  10-12 to discuss recent events related to the Armenian Apostolic Holy  Church and issues related to internal church life. However, on  December 8, the Mother See of Etchmiadzin announced its indefinite  postponement, given the repression against the clergy, including  arrests. Then, Karekin II decided to convene a bishops' assembly on  February 16-19 in the Austrian city of St. Polten. It is noteworthy  that it was at this time that the Investigative Committee of Armenia  opened a criminal case following Karekin II's decision to defrock  Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, who had joined the Armenian authorities'  anti-church campaign.