Garegin II refused to testify in a criminal case.

The Catholicos of All Armenians, a suspect in a criminal case, refused to testify. The lawyer suggested that the criminal prosecution of Karekin II was aimed at disrupting the bishops' meeting.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 14, it became known that the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia had initiated criminal prosecution against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II for obstructing the execution of a judicial decision related to defrocked Archbishop Gevorg Saroyan. The Catholicos is also banned from leaving the country. This could impact the Catholicos's participation in the bishops' meeting planned in Austria, the lawyer noted.

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II refused to testify, his lawyer Ara Zohrabyan announced today.

According to the lawyer, the purpose of the criminal prosecution was to disrupt the bishops' meeting. "This is one of the shameful days in the history of Armenia. "Such a decision will lead to very dire consequences," News.am quotes Zohrabyan as saying.

As a reminder, at the end of January, six clergymen of the Armenian Apostolic Church were charged with a criminal offense and banned from leaving the country. The Church accused the Armenian authorities of interfering in its internal affairs and violating human rights.

On January 4, the leader of the Civil Contract party and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced plans to "improve" the Armenian Apostolic Church, which include removing Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, adopting a new charter, and electing a new head of the church. After the Christmas service, Pashinyan accused the Catholicos of All Armenians of schism in the church and sectarianism. Harassment of the church undermines the authority of the state, stated Garegin II.

In May 2025, Nikol Pashinyan harshly criticized the church and responded to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan's objections with insults on Facebook*. Armenian politicians and church representatives demanded that Pashinyan apologize for his insults to the church.

The conflict between the Armenian authorities and the Armenian Apostolic Church has been ongoing since 2018, when Pashinyan came to power. This conflict came to light against the backdrop of the 2020 Karabakh War and the authorities' desire to improve relations with Turkey, according to analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot."

More details on the persecution of political opponents of the current Armenian government can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Main Thing About Political Arrests in Armenia in the Summer of 2025."