Latest news with #BagratGalstanyan
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Armenia arrests archbishop over alleged coup plot
Armenia lost the entire mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. (Armenian defence ministry/PAN Photo/EPA Images pic) LONDON : Armenian authorities today arrested a prominent Christian cleric, archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, and accused him of orchestrating a plot to overthrow the government. In a statement, Armenia's investigative committee said Galstanyan and alleged co-conspirators had 'acquired the means and tools necessary to commit a terrorist attack and seize power'. Prime minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on his Telegram channel that the authorities had thwarted a 'large and sinister plan by the 'criminal-oligarchic clergy'' to take power in Armenia. It was the second arrest this month of a prominent government opponent, after Russian-Armenian real estate billionaire Samvel Karapetyan was detained on accusations of making public calls to usurp power. Reuters was not able to immediately contact a lawyer for Galstanyan. Lawyers for Karapetyan say the businessman denies wrongdoing. Pashinyan rose to power on a wave of street protests in 2018, but came under heavy domestic pressure after major losses to Azerbaijan in a brief war in 2020. In 2023, Azerbaijan retook the whole of the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, where ethnic Armenians had enjoyed de facto independence for decades. Tapping into popular anger over defeats and territorial concessions, Galstanyan and his supporters led days of street protests last summer to demand the removal of Pashinyan. Detailing the charges that he faces now, authorities alleged that Galstanyan and associates had recruited over 1,000 people, mainly former soldiers and police officers, to block roads, paralyse traffic, incite violence and shut off the internet, with the goal of destabilising the government and seizing power. The investigative committee published audio recordings purporting to show Galstanyan and others discussing plans for the alleged coup attempt. Pashinyan, who faces parliamentary elections in June 2026, has moved towards signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, although tensions between the two countries remain high and the number of reported ceasefire violations has surged this year. Armenia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, shares borders with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran. It is a treaty ally of Russia, but relations with Moscow have been strained in recent years. Asked about the alleged coup plot, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was an internal matter for Armenia but Russia had an interest in calm and order being preserved there.
CTV News
21 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Armenian authorities arrest archbishop, accusing him of plotting against government, second recent arrest of political opponent
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Oct. 6, 2022. (Turkish Presidency via AP, file) YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia's security services arrested one of the country's top religious leaders on terrorism charges Wednesday and accused him of plotting to overthrow the government, the second arrest in a week of a prominent political opponent. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a major figure in the influential Apostolic Church, was arrested by Armenia's Investigative Committee, which accused him of planning to carry out bombings and arson attacks to disrupt power supplies and stage accidents on major roads to paralyze traffic. His lawyer described the charges as 'fiction.' Galstanyan leads the Sacred Struggle opposition movement and has demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was the focus of protests last year by tens of thousands of demonstrators after Armenia agreed to hand over control of several border villages to bitter rival Azerbaijan and to normalize relations between the neighbors. Galstanyan leads the Tavush Diocese in northeastern Armenia and spearheaded a movement that opposed the handover of the villages in the country, which was once part of the Soviet Union. Although the territorial concession was the movement's core issue, it has expanded to a wide array of complaints about Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018. The decision to turn over the villages followed a lightning military campaign in September 2023, in which Azerbaijan's military forced ethnic Armenian separatists in the Karabakh region to capitulate. Pashinyan wrote on social media that the security services had foiled a plot by 'the criminal oligarch clergy to destabilize Armenia and take power.' Officials said 13 others also were detained amid raids by police on the homes of dozens of opposition activists. The Investigative Committee said it carried out over 90 searches and recovered evidence that included firearms and ammunition. In addition to disputing the charges, Galstanyan's lawyer, Sergei Harutyunyan, said police searched the cleric's residence for six hours but found only smoke bombs that are commonly used at protests in Armenia. 'They spent time studying every room, every closet, every letter; they recorded everything,' Harutyunyan said. Attempts to impeach Pashinyan were unsuccessful, but the relationship between him and the Apostolic Church has deteriorated. On June 8, Pashinyan called for church leader Catholicos Karekin II to resign after accusing him of fathering a child despite a vow of celibacy. The church released a statement at the time accusing Pashinyan of undermining Armenia's 'spiritual unity' but did not address the claim about the child. Pashinyan's claim sparked fresh anger among the church's followers, including Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who appeared in a video saying that the religious institution was under attack. Karapetyan, 59, was detained June 18, days after the clip was posted online, and accused of calling for seizing power in the country. Pashinyan later said the billionaire's energy company, Electricity Networks of Armenia, would be nationalized. Avet Demourian, The Associated Press
Canada Standard
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada Standard
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. DETAILS TO FOLLOW (
Washington Post
a day ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Armenian authorities arrest an archbishop and accuse him of plotting against the government
YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia's security services arrested one of the country's top religious leaders on terrorism charges Wednesday and accused him of plotting to overthrow the government, the second arrest in a week of a prominent political opponent. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a major figure in the influential Apostolic Church, was arrested by Armenia's Investigative Committee, which accused him of planning to carry out bombings and arson attacks to disrupt power supplies and stage accidents on major roads to paralyze traffic. His lawyer described the charges as 'fiction.'
Associated Press
a day ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Armenian authorities arrest an archbishop and accuse him of plotting against the government
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia's security services arrested one of the country's top religious leaders on terrorism charges Wednesday and accused him of plotting to overthrow the government, the second arrest in a week of a prominent political opponent. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a major figure in the influential Apostolic Church, was arrested by Armenia's Investigative Committee, which accused him of planning to carry out bombings and arson attacks to disrupt power supplies and stage accidents on major roads to paralyze traffic. His lawyer described the charges as 'fiction.' Galstanyan leads the Sacred Struggle opposition movement and has demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was the focus of protests last year by tens of thousands of demonstrators after Armenia agreed to hand over control of several border villages to bitter rival Azerbaijan and to normalize relations between the neighbors. Galstanyan leads the Tavush Diocese in northeastern Armenia and spearheaded a movement that opposed the handover of the villages in the country, which was once part of the Soviet Union. Although the territorial concession was the movement's core issue, it has expanded to a wide array of complaints about Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018. The decision to turn over the villages followed a lightning military campaign in September 2023, in which Azerbaijan's military forced ethnic Armenian separatists in the Karabakh region to capitulate. Pashinyan wrote on social media that the security services had foiled a plot by 'the criminal oligarch clergy to destabilize Armenia and take power.' Officials said 13 others also were detained amid raids by police on the homes of dozens of opposition activists. The Investigative Committee said it carried out over 90 searches and recovered evidence that included firearms and ammunition. In addition to disputing the charges, Galstanyan's lawyer, Sergei Harutyunyan, said police searched the cleric's residence for six hours but found only smoke bombs that are commonly used at protests in Armenia. 'They spent time studying every room, every closet, every letter; they recorded everything,' Harutyunyan said. Attempts to impeach Pashinyan were unsuccessful, but the relationship between him and the Apostolic Church has deteriorated. On June 8, Pashinyan called for church leader Catholicos Karekin II to resign after accusing him of fathering a child despite a vow of celibacy. The church released a statement at the time accusing Pashinyan of undermining Armenia's 'spiritual unity' but did not address the claim about the child. Pashinyan's claim sparked fresh anger among the church's followers, including Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who appeared in a video saying that the religious institution was under attack. Karapetyan, 59, was detained June 18, days after the clip was posted online, and accused of calling for seizing power in the country. Pashinyan later said the billionaire's energy company, Electricity Networks of Armenia, would be nationalized.
