Echmiadzin in the siege

The security forces in Armenia first stormed the residence of the Catholicos. The believers did not allow the opposition archbishop to detain the opposition, he himself went to the UK and is now arrested

In Armenia, employees of law enforcement agencies for the first time in history broke into the territory of the pioneer Echmiadzin - the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church - for investigative actions. Hundreds of SNB fighters (an analogue of the FSB) and different police units, including special forces, stumbled upon the resistance of believers and priests and could not detain the ardent critic of Prime Minister Nikola Pashinyan, the abbot of the Shirak diocese, archbishop of Michael Ajapakhyan.

After a series of clashes, the security forces left the territory of the monastery complex, and Ajapakhyan, despite the objections of the supporters, decided to appear in the Investigative Committee and was detained on the morning of June 28. Pashinyan reacted to the detention of mockery posts to the archbishop and hints of homosexuality of representatives of the clergy. As the detention of one of the most popular priests in the country, what the parties to the conflict and participants in the action spoke about this-in the report of the Novo-Europe from the scene.

Battle of Veharan

The first groups of employees of the National Security Service (SNB) and various police units (including special forces) appeared in masks at the gates of the Echmiadzin monastery complex in the city of Vagarshapat early in the morning of June 27. The security forces planned to detain the rector of the Shirak diocese, Archbishop Michael Adzhapakhyan, in respect of which the case of public calls for the seizure of power and the overthrow of the constitutional order for the call to the generals in 2023 to “arrange a coup” in the country was opened.

The priest was on the territory of the residence of Catholicos (Veharan) in Echmiadzin, where a collection of clergy led by Catholicos of all Armenians Garein II took place. The monastery is open to visitors, however, Veharan is located a few tens of meters from the territory of the Cathedral, separated from the temple complex with a gate, a watchman is on duty on the spot. The first group of security forces burst there, by force opening the gate. After some time, special forces also hacked the door entrance doors.

They failed to detain Adzhapakhyan on the first attempt. The security forces stumbled upon an obstacle from the assembled priests, a brawl began between them. The parties gradually began to arrive to the aid of replenishment, believers were pulled to the scene (many came to the Vagarshapat from 20 kilometers of Yerevan and neighboring settlements) and additional special forces. The latter’s defenders were met by screams “Turks” and “Antichrist”.

The clashes between several hundred gathered continued for several hours, Ajapakhyan and Garein II himself were also on the street along with the protesters. The first even independently got into the UK car to leave, but the supporters blocked the way to the car and pulled it out.

“I'm not afraid of anything. I am pursued illegally, all charges are invented. I never hid and did not refuse my words ",

He said.

The events on June 27 were the first major clash between the security forces and the clergy in Echmiadzin from the moment the country's independence gained. During the clashes of the Church across the country, they began to constantly beat the alarm in an impending threat. This is a rare phenomenon (for example, it took place during the war in Nagorno -Karabakh in 2020) and in Armenian society is firmly associated with the war against the Ottoman Empire in 1918. Then Catholicos Gevorg V refused to leave the monastery, despite the statements of politicians and the threat of death, and the bells were beaten into the alarm, urging people on the battlefield. In a similar context, against the background of deepening relations with Turkey and the rejection of the authorities from historical requirements, the events were also perceived by the gathers from the residence of the Catholicos.

Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the Yerevan State University, Bishop Anushavan told the security forces that he would soon baptize and catch their loved ones

There will be mullahs, hinting at Turkish expansion.

“See Ararat? (He shows a finger towards the mountain.-Approx. Aut.) Because of people like you, he remained on the Turkish side. Now they are going to take Echmiadzin? Shoot us all, I will be the first. How will you now live on this earth and look people in the eyes? "

- the bishop said emotionally.

A few hours later, the security forces still left the territory of the monastery. In the SNB, this was explained by the reluctance to provoke new clashes, in the official statement of the AAC the events described the word “shame”.

“On June 27, this year will enter the latest history of our people as the day of the national shame - in connection with the shameful actions committed by the authorities of Armenia <...> it was impossible to imagine that the authorities of their own country were able to strike such a treacherous blow to the ancient national institution of the Armenian people - the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, an infringement, which was not even committed by foreign rulers,” said in, ”said in AAC.

Events in Echmiadzin became a new turn of the conflict between Pashinyan and the Church, which lasts about a month. The key requirement is the resignation of Garegin II for violating the vow of celibacy. On June 25, the prime minister stated that the security forces tore off the attempt of the coup. The UK accused the leader of the opposition “sacred movement”, the archbishop of Bagrat Bagrat Blastanyan and his supporters in the preparation of terrorist attacks with the aim of seizing power. Blastanyan himself and several others were arrested . They consider their persecution political.

In mid -June, Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan was detained in Yerevan ( a fortune of $ 3.2 billion, 44th place in the list of Russian Russian billionaires), which sided with the AAC in conflict. Pashinyan announced plans to nationalize the Electric Networks of Armenia belonging to him. Against this background, on the day of clashes in Echmiadzin, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures David Khudatyan visited Turkey to discuss "cooperation in the field of energy."

“The generals have more guilt than on this mental ill”: what is known to Archbishop Adzhapakhyan

Michael (in the world - Gevorg) Ajapakhyan 62 years old. He is from Gyumri, a descendant of the Armenian genocides in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. In the 80s, he studied at the spiritual seminary of Echmiadzin, in the mid-1990s he improved theological education in Rome, was the head of the Armenian philanthropic seminary in the Indian city of Calcutta. For more than 20 years he has been heading the Shirak diocese of the AAC.

After the war of 2020, Adzapakhyan became the main critic of Pashinyan and the former authorities of the country among representatives of the clergy. In the fall of 2024, he was in the center of the scandal after calling for former presidents-Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan-to leave politics amid the movement of Bagrat Blastanyan.

“The salvation of the homeland requires this. If they do not do this, then they don’t think about their homeland, they only think about returning to power or their role in the so -called opposition, ”he said.

A criminal case against him was instituted due to a 10-minute interview recorded in September 2023, after the outcome of the Armenians from Artsakh (Nagornoi Karabakh). There he called for the overthrow of power in Armenia, addressing the security forces and citizens.

“During the war of 2020, I said that there should be a military coup. But we never had a general who would do it for the sake of salvation of Artsakh and statehood. They are more guilt than on this mental ill (mean Pashinyan. - Approx. Aut.). He was just a non -insignificance, but the generals did not see and could not stop him? "

- complained the archbishop.

Close to the authorities of Armenia, the social activist Daniel Ionnisyan admitted that in the 2024th SNB refused to initiate the case due to the indicated interview on his application, not finding the corpus delicti in it. “It was necessary to hold Ajapakhyan to justice then, and not now, when the authorities chased some clergymen. Let his lawyers use this data to prove the political background of the case, ”he advised.

On the way to the Investigative Committee, the archbishop again said that he was not going to hide.

“I am grateful to everyone who stood up for me. They ( the authorities. - Approx. Aut. ) All understood and retreated. They decided to arrange a "mask show", but they did not succeed. Now it will be superfluous to allow them to attack the pioneers again. I said all this ( we are talking about the military coup and criticism of the authorities. - Approx. Aut. ), I did the right and not going to abandon my words, ”Adzhapakhyan told reporters.

After walking with believers for several minutes on foot, he got into the car and this time still drove into the UK. By the time he arrived at the department of the department, many police gathered in Yerevan, as well as several hundred supporters and representatives of the opposition.

The security forces began to catch people out of the crowd without explanation and score in the car, about 20 people were subjected to the drive. People were also detained on the highway between two cities.

One of the participants in the action demanded that they stop the detention and called the events of the day the “shame of the nation”.

“Today, Yerevan has turned into Istanbul Abdula-Hamid II and Mladourkov ( authors of the Armenian massacre in 1894–96 and genocide in the Ottoman Empire.- Approx. Aut. ). All thinking people are now at risk. The police must join the people and under the same article to arrest Pashinyan. They have already trained everything, now they got to Echmiadzin. It’s a shame that this is happening with us. I want to live in Armenia, and not in Turkish Istanbul, ”she said.

“Some cannot without women, and some - without men”: Pashinyan's reaction to clashes

Pashinyan himself kept silence all day about the situation and appeared on social networks only after the voluntary surrender of Ajapahyan. In his inherent last month, he began to mock and hint at the unconventional sexual orientation of some priests.

He proposed to ask Catholicos to ask for a preventive measure to take into account that Ajapakhyan “cannot without women”, despite the vow of celibacy.

“And in general, this petition can be made impersonal, for use in cases with other priests. Only by emphasizing that some can not without women, and some without men. Or sometimes without women, sometimes without men. It depends on the season, ”he wrote.

Then the prime minister continued the theme of sequusal orientation of clergymen.

“One of the supporters of the“ sacred movement ”during rallies drove men-tourists to the hotels. Well, who are we fighting against now? Churches? "

- read the next post.

On June 28, he called the “donkeys” of journalists who ask the question of whether uranium waste is stored in the Dilizhansky National Park.

The head of the Cabinet of Ministers and previously used obscene vocabulary in conversations about the church. So, he urged an unnamed bishop to stop criticizing him and "go to fuck his uncle's wife." He called the detained oligarch Samvel Karapetyan and some priests "prostitutes." According to media reports , the Facebook administration blocked one of such insulting publications.

On Saturday morning, the court concluded Adzhapakhyan into custody for two months. Prior to this, representatives of the opposition (AIAST Block mentioned ex-president Kocharyan) turned to him with a proposal to become a candidate for the premiere during the impeachment procedure Pashinyan. The archbishop said that he did not intend to engage in politics and continue to serve in the AAC.