Ex-Soviet state arrests opposition cleric on terrorism charges
Bagrat Galstanyan sought to overthrow the government during protests in 2024, Armenias Investigative Committee has charged
Armenian authorities have arrested a high-profile cleric for alleged terrorism and attempts to stage a coup last year, according to the country's Investigative Committee and footage on social media.
Bagrat Galstanyan was a key leader in the demonstrations calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to step down after he agreed to return several border villages to Azerbaijan. The move was meant to help mend still tenuous relations between the two former Soviet republics.
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CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Canadian cleric arrested in Armenia in connection to alleged coup attempt
A prominent Canadian cleric of the Armenian Apostolic Church is among more than a dozen people Armenia's security services have arrested in connection to an alleged coup attempt this week. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who heads the Tavush Diocese in Armenia's northeast, grabbed national attention last year in the Southern Caucasus country when he began leading a protest movement asking for the resignation of its prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and even saying he would be open to replacing him as Armenia's leader. That movement picked up steam following land concessions made by Armenia to neighbouring Azerbaijan that involved the handover of Armenian border villages. Galstanyan, a dual Canadian and Armenian citizen, served as primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada in Montreal from 2003 to 2013. Pashinyan praised the work of law enforcement on his Facebook page, writing in Armenian that they prevented a "large and despicable" plan to destabilize his government through acts of terrorism and seize power. He also linked to a statement by Armenia's Investigative Committee, which had carried out the arrests. The committee said it had seized explosives and weaponry, and accused Galstanyan's protest movement of planning to conduct bombings and stage accidents on major roads to disrupt traffic. Galstanyan's movement has denied the charges, calling them "fiction." Reached for comment, Global Affairs Canada said it is "aware that a Canadian citizen was arrested in Armenia," and added "consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather more information." The arrests come after escalating tensions between the Armenian government and the country's Apostolic Church, which has been increasingly critical of Pashinyan after Armenia's loss to Azerbaijan in a 2020 war over the then Armenian-controlled enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan's military campaign in September 2023 that forced the territory's approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians to flee, abandoning their homes. Last month, Pashinyan accused the head of the church, Catholicos Karekin II, of secretly fathering a child despite a vow of celibacy. An Armenian priest then implied in a social media post Pashinyan is circumcised and not a true Christian. Earlier this week, Pashinyan took to Facebook to say he is ready to invite both the catholicos and the priest over and "prove otherwise." Citing confidentiality, Global Affairs Canada said it cannot disclose further information about its involvement since Galstanyan's arrest. The Canadian government inaugurated its embassy in Armenia in October 2023, and has recently staffed up its presence there due to the conflict between neighbouring Iran and Israel, which has triggered an exodus from the Iran-Armenia border, including some Canadians. In November 2022, Galstanyan attended the opening of a smaller Canadian diplomatic office, an honourary consul, as a guest. In 2020, in the final days of the war against Azerbaijan, Galstanyan made waves on social media with a performance of an Armenian liturgical hymn at a cathedral in the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Shushi, even as bombs could be heard landing outside the structure. Former immigration minister Jason Kenney had shared the video on his social media channels at the time, calling Galstanyan a "dear friend" and saying it was touching to see.
CTV News
12 hours ago
- CTV News
Armenia cracks down on opposition clerics, including Armenian-Canadian archbishop, after claiming to foil coup attempt
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a major figure in the influential Apostolic Church arrested by Armenian authorities on Wednesday, gestures while addressing a crowd during a rally against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, May 26, 2024. (Stepan Poghosyan/Photolure via AP, File) An Armenian court on Thursday put an influential cleric into two months of pre-trial detention on coup attempt charges, a day after authorities claimed to have foiled a plot to overthrow the government. Authorities arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a charismatic senior church figure opposing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, along with other 14 suspects, part of a large-scale crackdown on Galstanyan's Sacred Struggle movement. On Thursday, 'a court of general jurisdiction in Yerevan decided to send Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan to a pre-trial detention for a period of two months,' one of his lawyers, Hovhannes Khudoyan, told journalists. Armenia's Investigative Committee said the court granted motions for pre-trial detention for all the detained, adding that '15 suspects have been placed in custody'. Galstanyan emerged as a key opposition figure last year after accusing Pashinyan of making unacceptable concessions to Armenia's arch-rival Azerbaijan, leading mass protests against the prime minister. Later on Thursday, Armenia's prosecutor general office announced it had opened a criminal case against another senior cleric. Archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan is accused of making 'public calls aimed at seizing power... and violently overthrowing the constitutional order', it said in a statement. Deeply divided since 2023 war Armenia has been deeply divided since its defeat in the 2023 war with Azerbaijan over the disputed Karabakh region, which has led to exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians. Pashinyan has since faced a backlash over his efforts to normalize ties with Baku, including ceding border areas, a move critics denounced as a capitulation -- as Azerbaijan has demanded sweeping concessions in exchange for lasting peace. Galstanyan, aligned with the Apostolic Church's influential head, Catholicos Garegin II, stepped down from clerical duties last year to challenge Pashinyan for the premiership, though his dual Armenian-Canadian citizenship bars him from holding office. This month, Pashinyan escalated the feud with the church by accusing Garegin II -- who is calling for his resignation -- of fathering an illegitimate child and urging believers to oust him, prompting calls for Pashinyan's excommunication. The Armenian Apostolic Church wields considerable influence in the Caucasus country, which in the fourth century became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Pashinyan, a former journalist and lawmaker who came to power after protests, remains firmly in control thanks to a parliamentary majority and weak, fragmented opposition forces.
Winnipeg Free Press
14 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
As the United Nations turns 80, some key moments in its history
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — There have been many memorable moments in the 80-year history of the United Nations, both at its headquarters in New York and at its far-flung global operations. Here are photos of some of the U.N.'s history-making events as the world body marks the anniversary of its founding on June 26, 1945, when the U.N. Charter was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco. Most of these moments made headlines — but for very different reasons. June 1945: Signing of the U.N. Charter Delegates from 50 countries met in San Francisco in the ashes of World War II to establish an international organization to prevent a repetition of such a conflict and promote global peace. The U.N. Charter remains the bedrock of the United Nations, which now has 193 member countries. The charter's opening words express determination 'to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.' July 1950: First U.N. attempt at collective security North Korean forces invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. Twelve days later, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution authorizing the United States to establish and lead military forces to repel the attack and restore peace on the Korean Peninsula. The U.N. Command was the world's first attempt at collective security under the new United Nations. It still operates because there is an armistice — but still no peace treaty — between North Korea and South Korea. October 1960: Soviet leader pounds his fists It was the height of the Cold War and the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, went to the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly and listened in growing annoyance to criticism of the Communist bloc. In one intervention, in which he repeatedly banged his fist on the podium in the assembly hall, he declared: 'You will not be able to smother the voice of the peoples.' November 1974: Arafat comes armed to the U.N. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was invited to speak at the United Nations even though the territories were not a U.N. member nation. Arafat told diplomats in the General Assembly chamber, 'Today, I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.' August 2003: The U.N. mission in Iraq is bombed The bombing of U.N. headquarters in the Canal Hotel in Baghdad was the deadliest terrorist attack against U.N. staff in its history and killed many team members as well as Sergio Vieira de Mello, a rising star. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said on the 20th anniversary of the tragedy that it 'marked a change in the way humanitarians operate.' September 2009: Gadhafi rips up the U.N. Charter Moammar Gadhafi, the autocratic ruler of oil rich Libya, ripped up the document in his only address to the U.N. General Assembly's annual gathering of world leaders — a rambling 90-minute speech that went way beyond his allotted 15 minutes. He said he did not recognize the authority of the U.N. Charter. Then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown retorted in his speech later: 'I stand here to reaffirm the United Nations Charter, not to tear it up.' March 2010: The U.N. responds to the devastating Haiti earthquake The magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 2010 killed 102 U.N. staff members, including the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti and his deputy when the building housing their offices was destroyed. The U.N. called it 'one of the darkest days' in its history. Haiti's government put the death toll at 316,000, while some estimates were lower. September 2010: Iranian leader holds up the Quran and the Bible Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized Americans who threatened to burn the Muslim holy book, saying, 'The truth cannot be burned.' He then held up the Quran and the Bible and said he respected both of them. The United States and about 30 other countries walked out during Ahmadinejad's speech after he falsely claimed the U.S. masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. September 2012: Netanyahu expresses concern about Iran nuclear ambitions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held up a large, cartoonish diagram of a bomb divided into sections, saying the section marked 70% was where Iran was on its way to enriching uranium for a nuclear weapon. He urged the world to draw a clear 'red line' under the other section marked 90% and to stop Iran's nuclear program, asserting that the country would be that far along by the following year. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the United Nations at
