Prosecutor seeks 2.5-year jail term for Archbishop Mikael

PanARMENIAN.Net - At a session of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, public prosecutor Arman Baghdasaryan requested a sentence of two years and six months’ imprisonment for Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

“In this case, the defendant is accused of deliberately committing a medium-gravity crime against the foundations of constitutional order and state security. Considering the aims of punishment, I request sentencing Mikael Ajapahyan to two years and six months in prison, factoring in the time already spent in custody,” Baghdasaryan stated, Armenpress reported.

The court will announce its verdict on October 3 at 17:30.

Earlier, the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction found Archbishop Ajapahyan guilty.

The cleric was charged under Article 422, Part 2 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, relating to public calls for usurping power, violating territorial integrity, renouncing sovereignty, or violently overthrowing constitutional order. He has been in custody since June 28 and denies the charges.