Source: www.forum18.org
Date: August 3, 2026
https://www.forum18.org/archiv
By Felix Corley, Forum 18
Prosecutors have sent to court a criminal case against the head of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin, and six other bishops who
are members of the Church's Supreme Spiritual Council. The seven are facing
trial for refusing to reinstate dismissed bishop Gevorg Saroyan in defiance
of a court order. Prosecutors accuse them of "failing to execute a judicial
act or obstructing its execution". If convicted, the seven face a maximum
punishment of a two-year jail term. Judge Hakob Manukyan of Armavir Region
First Instance Court in Echmiadzin has set a preliminary hearing for the
afternoon of 7 August.
Hearings at the trial are due to be open. Those on trial will be:
74-year-old Catholicos Karekin II; Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisian;
Archbishop Haykazun Najarian; Bishop Vahan Hovhannesyan; Bishop Makar
Hakobyan; Bishop Moushegh Babayan; and Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan. The court is
less than one kilometre from the Armenian Church's headquarters at
Echmiadzin (see below).
The forthcoming trial comes amid severe tensions between the Armenian
Church leadership and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Catholicos Karekin
and Prime Minister Pashinyan have each repeatedly called on the other to
leave office (see below).
Both the Constitution and the Religion Law guarantee the separation of
religious organisations and the state. Armenia's international human rights
commitments also require it to respect the autonomy of religious
organisations (see below).
The lawyer Armine Fanyan, who represents Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan and Bishop
Markar Hakobyan, insists all seven defendants should be acquitted. "The
trial is obviously illegal," she told Forum 18. "All are innocent" (see
below).
Isabella Sargsyan of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation similarly expresses
concern about the trial. "The case from the very beginning is not in line
with international standards on freedom of religion or belief and violates
the right of autonomy of religious institutions," she told Forum 18. "The
state cannot interfere in the hierarchy of religious institutions. Cases of
defrocked priests are not admissible in civil courts" (see below).
The Investigative Committee (which launched the criminal investigation in
January) did not answer Forum 18's 4 February questions as to:
- how the investigative Committee could investigate a decision that is
within the competence of an autonomous religious organisation, given the
separation of the church and the state in Armenia's Constitution;
- and how the Investigative Committee could give reassurance that
prosecutions of church leaders who oppose Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's
interference in the Church are motivated solely by objective, legal
criteria and not by political factors or revenge (see below).
Forum 18 asked Investigator Ara Avakyan (who led the investigation) why he
had investigated Church leaders over an internal Church decision which was
nothing to do with the court. He said he did not believe that it was Forum
18 on the line. "Don't ask anything. Goodbye," he said. He then put the
phone down (see below).
Forum 18 wrote to the General Prosecutor's Office in Yerevan, before the
start of the working day in Yerevan of 3 August to ask:
- given the separation of religious organisations from the state, why
prosecutors brought a criminal case against leaders of an autonomous
religious organisation who are being punished for taking an internal
decision that is within their competence;
- and how the General Prosecutor's Office could give reassurance that
prosecutions of church leaders who oppose Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's
interference in the Church are motivated solely by objective, legal
criteria and not by political factors or revenge.
Forum 18 has received no response (see below).
Forum 18 wrote to the Office of Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan to
ask:
- given the separation of religious organisations from the state, what she
and her office have done to defend the right of these leaders of an
autonomous religious organisation who are being punished for taking an
internal decision that is within their competence;
- and whether she or a representative from her office will be attending the
trial as an observer.
The Office's response stressed that "pursuant to the constitutional and
legislative mandate", the Defender "is not authorized to interfere with
judicial proceedings or to influence the consideration of cases that are
pending before the courts". It said she must "the principles of judicial
independence and the separation of powers" and could not therefore "express
positions that could be interpreted as influencing the administration of
justice" (see below).
Since 2025, the government has restricted the activity of the Church
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
adopted in October 2025 removed the status of "public broadcaster" from the
Church's Shoghakat TV channel. In December 2025, the government halted its
broadcasts and liquidated the company running it. In January 2026, the
Defence Minister ended the Church's military chaplaincy service.
Pashinyan admitted in early December 2025 ordering the National Security
Service (NSS) to try to censor church liturgies he attended by preventing
priests from commemorating the Catholicos
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Meanwhile, the preliminary hearing in the criminal trial of conscientious
objector Ivan Mikhailov, a Molokan from Dilijan (who is now 28), has been
postponed to 7 October. A hearing due at Tavush Region First Instance Court
on 17 July did not take place. The trial would be the second for Mikhailov.
If convicted he faces up to two years' imprisonment. The case was brought
to court in July 2025 but has been repeatedly postponed. He remains under
travel restrictions (see below).
The only known jailed conscientious objector, Council of Churches Baptist
Davit Nazaretyan (who is now 23), is due to complete his 2-year prison term
on 20 August. His case is pending at the European Court of Human Rights in
Strasbourg (see below).
"Religious organisations shall have equal rights and shall enjoy autonomy"
Armenia's 2015 Constitution and the 1991 Religion Law (most recently
amended in March 2026) govern relations between the state and religious
communities (https://www.forum18.org/archi
Article 41 of the Constitution states that "Religious organisations shall
have equal rights and shall enjoy autonomy. The procedure of creation and
operation of religious organisations shall be stipulated by law."
Article 17 of the Religion Law includes the provision: "In the Republic of
Armenia, Church and State are separate." It adds that as part of this
separation, the state "Shall not interfere in the activities and internal
affairs of church and Religious Organisations as long as they operate in
accordance with the law, no state agency or person acting on behalf of such
agency shall operate within a Religious Organisation."
Article 18 of the Religion Law declares that "The State shall finance
neither the activity of Religious Organisations nor of atheistic
propaganda. At the same time, the state guarantees the right of the members
or employees of Religious Organisations to take part in the civil and
political life on an equal basis with other citizens."
One religious community, the Armenian Apostolic Church, has a special law:
the 2007 Law Regarding the Relationship Between the Republic of Armenia and
the Holy Apostolic Armenian Church.
Article 2 of this Law includes the provision: "The Republic of Armenia
recognises the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church as autocephalous
(self-governing) within its hierarchal scope."
Armenia's international human rights obligations also require it to respect
religious organisations' autonomy. The OSCE / Council of Europe Venice
Commission Guidelines on the Legal Personality of Religious or Belief
Communities
(https://cdn.osce.org/sites/de
declare that "states should observe their obligations by ensuring that
national law leaves it to the religious or belief community itself to
decide on its leadership, its internal rules, the substantive content of
its beliefs, the structure of the community and methods of appointment of
the clergy and its name and other symbols".
Prime Minister calls for Armenian Church leadership change
On 29 May 2025, at a government session unrelated to the Church, Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinyan sharply criticised Armenian Apostolic Church
leaders (https://www.forum18.org/archi
bishops condemned his remarks, Pashinyan repeated his criticisms the
following day. He called on clergy who violated their vows of celibacy to
be defrocked.
On 2 June 2025, Pashinyan called on Catholicos Karekin to resign. He
claimed the Catholicos had violated his vow of celibacy by fathering a
child. "I raise the issue as a follower of the Armenian Apostolic Church
because I see a spiritual security issue, and also as the Prime Minister of
Armenia because I see a state security issue."
In another post, Pashinyan declared that the Armenian government must have
a "decisive say" in the choice of the next Catholicos. He called for future
candidates for Catholicos to undergo background checks.
The Church's Supreme Spiritual Council, chaired by Catholicos Karekin,
rejected Pashinyan's comments at a 2 June 2025 meeting at Echmiadzin. "The
Prime Minister of Armenia has launched yet another campaign against the
Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, using language unbecoming of a statesman -
replete with insults and accusations - and positioning himself above the
law," its statement read
(https://www.armenianchurch.or
"Matters of the Church are governed by ecclesiastical canons and
regulations and lie beyond the jurisdiction of state and political
authorities," the statement insisted.
On Sunday 9 June 2025, Pashinyan again called for Catholicos Karekin to
resign. "As a faithful member of the Armenian Apostolic Church, I believe
we must elect a new Catholicos," he said. "Just as we returned the
government to the people, we must now return the Church to the people."
The following day, Pashinyan called on followers of the Armenian Apostolic
Church to support efforts to reform the Church's leadership. In a public
message, he urged the formation of a Coordinating Group to organise
elections for a new Catholicos and "liberate" the Mother See of Holy
Echmiadzin.
"At this stage, we need to establish a Coordinating Group to manage the
organisational aspects of this agenda. Members of the Coordinating Group
should be followers of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church," Pashinyan
declared. "I will personally take responsibility for selecting the first 10
members of the Coordinating Group, based on conversations and assessments
regarding the criteria listed above. Later on, the Group itself will
determine the procedures for expansion, its structure, and any other
necessary matters."
Church divisions
Of the more than 30 archbishops and bishops in Armenia and in the worldwide
Armenian diaspora, ten openly backed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's
demands for Catholicos Karekin's resignation in November 2025.
At a meeting with at least seven of these bishops at his residence on 5
January 2026, Pashinyan outlined his plans to reform the Church
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
statement – which he signed in his capacity of Prime Minister -
specifying the removal of the current Catholicos and the formation of a
Coordinating Council comprised of himself and the ten bishops that support
him. The statement also condemned the "uncanonical practice of involving
the Church in politics and using it to serve various agendas and
interests".
On 5 January 2026, the Echmiadzin Catholicosate issued a statement
(https://www.armenianchurch.or
Pashinyan and the bishops who backed him. "The actions undertaken by the
Head of the Government of Armenia, under the pretext of bringing the
internal life of the Church into accordance with the canons and reforming
it, constitute a violation of the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia
and infringe upon the rights of the Church enshrined both in international
law and in the legislation of Armenia."
Investigative Committee investigates bishop's defrocking
Catholicos Karekin defrocked a number of priests for supporting Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinyan's campaign. In several locations, police have
protected such priests
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
allowed the defrocked priests to continue using the churches and prevented
new clergy named by diocesan leaders from entering.
On 10 January 2026, the Church dismissed Bishop Gevorg Saroyan as head of
its Masyatsotn Diocese. He had backed Prime Minister Pashinyan's calls for
a change of leadership in the Armenian Church. Police were seen outside the
diocesan offices in Masis, apparently to prevent the Church leadership's
enforcement of the dismissal.
With Pashinyan's encouragement, Saroyan challenged the dismissal in court.
The Court of General Jurisdiction of Civil Cases of Armavir Region ruled on
16 January that he must be reinstated
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
on the lawsuit. It also said the Church must not try to stop him from
performing his duties in any way, including "the management of the
financial resources of the Masyatsotn Diocese and the execution of
financial transactions, until the adoption of a final judicial act within
the case". The decision was served on the Chancellery at Echmiadzin on 19
January.
Echmiadzin rejected the court decision, insisting that the Church takes
such decisions based on its own canons.
On 27 January, the Church's Supreme Spiritual Council defrocked Bishop
Gevorg.
Some of the 24 parish priests serving in the Masyatsotn Diocese claimed
that local government officials and other Pashinyan loyalists in two
provincial communities pressured them
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
to the sacked primate.
Investigative Committee opens criminal case
The Investigative Committee's General Department for Investigation of
Particularly Important Cases launched a criminal investigation on 29
January 2026 under Article 507, Part 2 ("Failing to execute a judicial act
or obstructing its execution" by someone in an official position) because
the Church leadership had failed to reinstate Gevorg Saroyan as Bishop of
its Masyatsotn Diocese. Investigator Ara Avakyan from the Investigative
Committee in Yerevan was leading the investigation.
On 31 January, the Investigative Committee issued summonses to six bishops
who are members of the Supreme Spiritual Council and one priest requiring
them to appear before the Investigative Committee as defendants in the
criminal case. It then banned them from leaving the country while the
investigation was underway.
The authorities barred Catholicos Karekin from leaving the country in
February. This meant that he was unable to travel to neighbouring Georgia
on 22 March for the funeral of Patriarch Ilya of the Georgian Orthodox
Church. A court overturned the travel ban in April. However, it was
subsequently reinstated.
Forum 18 asked Investigator Avakyan on 3 August why he had investigated
Church leaders over an internal Church decision which was nothing to do
with the court. He said he did not believe that it was Forum 18 on the
line. "Don't ask anything. Goodbye," he said. He then put the phone down.
Forum 18 asked the Investigative Committee's Press Office in Yerevan in
writing on 4 February:
- why the Investigative Committee launched an investigation following the
Supreme Spiritual Council's decision to defrock Bishop Gevorg Saroyan of
Masyatsotn Diocese;
- how the investigative Committee could investigate a decision that is
within the competence of an autonomous religious organisation, given the
separation of the church and the state in Armenia's Constitution;
- and how the Investigative Committee could give reassurance that
prosecutions of church leaders who oppose Prime Minister Pashinyan's
interference in the Church are motivated solely by objective, legal
criteria and not by political factors or revenge.
In an 11 February response, Vahe Mirzoyan of the Investigative Committee
did not answer these questions
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
information laws, he said "it is not possible to provide information" on
the questions, "as they contain data from the preliminary investigation
that are not subject to disclosure". He added on the last question, that
"Your wording bears no relevance to the investigative body".
Did investigator exceed permitted investigation time limit?
Article 192 of the Criminal Procedure Code gives investigators three months
to complete their investigation in the case of minor crimes (which include
cases under Criminal Code Article 507). However, Investigator Ara Avakyan,
who was leading the case, extended the investigation time limit as he
claimed extra time was needed for "international enquiries".
Several of those under investigation – including Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan
and Bishop Markar Hakobyan - challenged the length of time of the
investigation. "We don't understand what those 'international enquiries'
were," the lawyer Armine Fanyan, who represents the two bishops, told Forum
18 from Yerevan on 3 August. "They wouldn't give us documents on this. It
was an artificial pretext."
In July, the court upheld the suits lodged by the two bishops. "The court
ruled in both cases that the investigator had exceeded the time limit,"
Fanyan added. "This means he acted illegally. The criminal cases against
the two should therefore have been closed." The cases were not closed as
the investigator is challenging the decisions.
Forum 18 was unable to ask Investigator Avakyan on 3 August what justified
the extension of the three-month investigation time limit.
Supreme Spiritual Council condemns "pressure on clergy through coercive
measures and threats"
On 3 April, in preparation for the 7 June parliamentary election, the Civil
Contract Party led by Nikol Pashinyan published its manifesto
(https://www.civilcontract.am/
"In recent decades, as a result of the activities of the de facto
leadership of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, the faithful community
has been and continues to be alienated from the Armenian Apostolic Holy
Church," it declared.
The manifesto said the party "supports the reform agenda" for the Church.
It said it would ensure the removal of the "de facto" head of the Church (a
reference to Catholicos Karekin), the appointment of an acting Catholicos
and the election of a new Catholicos.
The manifesto claimed to acknowledge the separation of religious
organisations from the state. It insisted it would maintain this separation
"by removing the Church from politics".
The Church's Supreme Spiritual Council repeatedly condemned state moves
against the Church. A statement from the 19 May meeting
(https://www.armenianchurch.or
See of Echmiadzin, chaired by Catholicos Karekin, condemned "unlawful
actions". These included "pressure on clergy through coercive measures and
threats, the initiation of illegal criminal proceedings against several
clergymen, the encouragement of clergy who deviate from Church order, the
conclusion of unlawful employment contracts with individual priests, as
well as condemnable cases of appointing defrocked individuals to spiritual
service under state patronage".
The Supreme Spiritual Council complained that these actions "directly
violate both the rights of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and
fundamental human freedoms and rights".
The Supreme Spiritual Council called for a "fair response" from
international structures and human rights organisations to "the unlawful
actions of the ruling political force aimed at interfering in the
self-governance of the worldwide Armenian Church". It particularly
highlighted the election programme of the Civil Contract party (led by
Nikol Pashinyan) "regarding the 'reform' of the Church through the
deposition of the nationally elected Patriarch". It stressed: "This step is
both uncanonical and illegal."
"The Supreme Spiritual Council reiterates that no structure outside the
Church and its competent ecclesiastical bodies, even one endowed with state
or political authority, may carry out the 'reform' of ecclesiastical life."
Criminal case presented to court for trial
The Investigate Committee completed its investigation into the Catholicos
and six other bishops under Criminal Code Article 507, Part 2. It handed
over the case to the General Prosecutors' Office. In July, the General
Prosecutors' Office prepared the case for court.
Prosecutors presented the case to Armavir Region First Instance Court in
Echmiadzin (where the Church headquarters are located) on 28 July, which
assigned it to Judge Hakob Manukyan. On 30 July, the Judge set the
preliminary hearing for 4 pm on 7 August, according to court records.
Hearings at the trial are due to be open.
Those on trial are:
- Catholicos Karekin II Nersisyan (born Ktrich Nersisyan, 21 August 1951)
- Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisian (born Samvel Hovhannisian, 9 May 1955)
- Archbishop Haykazun Najarian (born Vrezh Najarian, 1952)
- Bishop Vahan Hovhannesyan (born Sarkis Hovhannesyan, 1 January 1963)
- Bishop Makar Hakobyan (born Edgar Hakobyan, 1979)
- Bishop Moushegh Babayan (born Nelson Babayan, 1978)
- Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan (born Artur Hakobyan, 1978)
"Karekin II Nersisyan is accused of committing a prohibited act under
threat of punishment, committed with intent, that he, being also the
Chairman of the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Apostolic Holy
Church religious organisation, using his official powers, obstructed the
execution of another judicial act that has entered into legal force," the
court listing for the case notes. It details the court decision over
defrocked bishop Gevorg (Arman) Saroyan.
The case notes are shorter for the other six bishops. Each is described as
"accused of committing a crime prohibited by the threat of punishment, that
he, being a high-ranking clergyman, archbishop, included in the Supreme
Spiritual Council of the religious organisation Armenian Apostolic Holy
Church .. using his official powers, obstructed the execution of another
judicial act that has entered into legal force".
Court records list the defrocked bishop Gevorg (Arman) Saroyan as a victim
in the case.
The Yerevan lawyer Ara Zohrabyan is leading the defence team. The lawyer
Armine Fanyan represents Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan and Bishop Markar Hakobyan.
If convicted, the seven clergy face a fine, community service of up to 150
hours, restricted freedom of up to two years, or a jail term of up to two
years.
Catholicos Karekin and the six bishops are all under travel bans, court
records note.
"The case from the very beginning is not in line with international
standards"
"In a state that is obliged by international and domestic law not to
interfere in the internal affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church,
the authorities have granted the status of an accused to the Armenian
Patriarch for performing a church function," the lawyer Ara Zohrabyan wrote
on Facebook on 30 July
(https://www.facebook.com/ara.
"This is a shameful historical event."
Zohrabyan describes the criminal trial of Catholicos Karekin as "the second
case in the last hundred years when the state authorities have made the
Catholicos of All Armenians a target of criminal or violent pressure". In
1938, Soviet state security agents murdered Catholicos Khoren Muradbekian
at Echmiadzin.
The lawyer Armine Fanyan, who represents Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan and Bishop
Markar Hakobyan, insists all seven defendants should be acquitted. "The
trial is obviously illegal," she told Forum 18 from Yerevan on 3 August.
"All are innocent."
Isabella Sargsyan of the Eurasia Partnership Foundation similarly expresses
concern about the trial. "The case from the very beginning is not in line
with international standards on freedom of religion or belief and violates
the right of autonomy of religious institutions," she told Forum 18 from
Yerevan on 3 August. "The state cannot interfere in the hierarchy of
religious institutions. Cases of defrocked priests are not admissible in
civil courts."
Forum 18 wrote to Arevik Khachatryan, Head of the Public Relations
Department of the General Prosecutor's Office in Yerevan, before the start
of the working day in Yerevan of 3 August to ask:
- given the separation of religious organisations from the state, why
prosecutors brought a criminal case against leaders of an autonomous
religious organisation who are being punished for taking an internal
decision that is within their competence;
- and how the General Prosecutor's Office could give reassurance that
prosecutions of church leaders who oppose Prime Minister Pashinyan's
interference in the Church are motivated solely by objective, legal
criteria and not by political factors or revenge.
Forum 18 had received no response by the end of the working day in Yerevan
of 3 August.
Forum 18 wrote to the office of Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan to
ask:
- Given the separation of religious organisations from the state, what she
and her office have done to defend the right of these leaders of an
autonomous religious organisation who are being punished for taking an
internal decision that is within their competence;
- and whether she or a representative from her office will be attending the
trial as an observer.
The Office of the Human Rights Defender responded on 3 August. It noted
that it "has publicly addressed" the cases against the Armenian Church's
leaders "through public statements and reflected in the Annual Report, in
accordance with the Office's mandate".
The Office stressed that "pursuant to the constitutional and legislative
mandate", the Defender "is not authorized to interfere with judicial
proceedings or to influence the consideration of cases that are pending
before the courts". It said she must "the principles of judicial
independence and the separation of powers" and could not therefore "express
positions that could be interpreted as influencing the administration of
justice".
"Ongoing state pressure on the Church"
In his 30 July Facebook post, the lawyer Ara Zohrabyan listed the state's
moves against the Armenian Apostolic Church. He noted that these moves
"since 2018 have formed a picture of ongoing state pressure on the Church".
Zohrabyan pointed to the cancellation of diplomatic passports for the
Church's bishops in 2018; the cancellation of police protection for the
Catholicos in 2020; the withdrawal of the subject "History of the Armenian
Church" from the school curriculum in 2020; the termination of the Church's
spiritual service in prisons in 2024; "significant restrictions on the
institutional presence of the church in the armed forces and the removal of
the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church from the army" in 2024-5; attempts to
edit the liturgy in 2025-6; "public political initiatives" to replace the
Catholicos and terminate his powers in 2025-6; criminal prosecutions and
restrictive measures against senior clergy in 2025-6; "and now criminal
prosecutions against the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops" in
2026.
Zohrabyan argues that because the Church and the institution of the
Catholicos of All Armenians are pillars of the history, national identity
and statehood of Armenia", what is now happening "goes beyond the scope of
a single criminal case and has historical, constitutional and national
significance".
Molokan conscientious objector's trial delayed until October
Conscientious objector Ivan Nikolai Mikhailov (born 28 July 1998), a
Molokan Christian from Dilijan in north-eastern Armenia, is on trial for a
second time for refusing military service on grounds of conscience. He was
refused alternative civilian service in 2018. He was then sentenced to two
years' imprisonment, but this was overturned on appeal.
In 2025, Tavush Garrison Military Prosecutor's Office brought a new case
against Mikhailov under Criminal Code Article 461, Part 1 ("Avoidance of
mandatory military or alternative service or conscription"). It accused him
of failing to appear for the 2024 winter call-up. Mikhailov was once again
placed under a travel ban. Prosecutors handed the case to Tavush Region
First Instance Court in July 2025, where it was assigned to Judge Narek
Badalyan. However, the court has repeatedly postponed hearings
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Most recently, the preliminary hearing set for 17 July
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Mikhailov's defence lawyer Mamikon Manukyan was unable to attend. The
preliminary hearing is now scheduled for 11 am on 7 October, according to
court records, more than 14 months after the case reached court.
Baptist conscientious objector's jail term nearing completion
Council of Churches Baptist conscientious objector Davit Tigrani Nazaretyan
(born 23 July 2003) is due to complete his 2-year jail term on 20 August.
He is serving the sentence
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
in Kotayk Region.
The Alternative Service Commission rejected Nazaretyan's application in
January 2023. A court convicted and jailed him under Criminal Code Article
461, Part 1 ("Avoidance of mandatory military or alternative service or
conscription"). Officials arrested him
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
initially to Nubarashen prison in southern Yerevan to begin his two-year
jail term, a month after the Cassation Court rejected his final appeal.
Officials refused to grant him amnesty in August 2025 when he had completed
half his jail term.
Anna Maralyan of Rights Centre, an Armenian non-governmental organisation,
brought a case (https://www.forum18.org/archi
Nazaretyan's behalf to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in
Strasbourg. The Court registered the case (Application No. 36510/24) on 7
November 2024. As of 3 August 2026, the Court has not yet taken any
decision on the case. (END)
More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Armenia
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