Archbishop’s diary and attempted coup in Armenia
Attempted coup in Armenia
“The prevention of an attempted coup in Armenia and the criminal cases launched against two senior clerics should not be viewed separately. They are part of the same chain of events,” said head of the Investigative Committee Artur Poghosyan in a broadcast on Public Television.
According to him, the investigation revealed that members of the clergy would be involved in the process. Against this backdrop, Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese, repeated his call for a “military coup.” Law enforcement authorities responded accordingly.
The head of the Investigative Committee emphasized that as a result of operational measures, investigators obtained physical evidence of the planned crime. Among the evidence is a diary kept by Adjapahyan since 2022.
“There, a direct link to Vazgen Galstanyan [the secular name of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan] is confirmed. The diary outlines who was initially intended to lead the protest movement [‘Sacred Struggle’], who proposed that Galstanyan head it, what meetings were held, and when the movement collapsed. All of this must be considered as part of a single case,” Poghosyan stressed.
Within a few days, two senior clerics of the Armenian Apostolic Church—heads of the Tavush and Shirak dioceses—were arrested. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, head of the Tavush Diocese, is charged with planning “acts of terrorism and the seizure of power.” Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese, is charged with “public calls for the seizure of power and the violent overthrow of the constitutional order.” The court granted the motion to detain both for two months.
The criminal investigation was preceded by the publication of an article titled “Exclusive: The opposition’s coup plan” on the website Civic.am, which is affiliated with the authorities. The article listed the names of individuals allegedly linked to the coup plot: former presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, as well as businessmen Samvel Karapetyan, Gagik Tsarukyan, and Samvel Aleksanyan. The latter has also been arrested for two months on charges of inciting the seizure of power.
Below are the key points from the interview with Investigative Committee Chairman Artur Poghosyan.
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“The timing of Ajapahyan’s call is significant”
Public Television host Petros Ghazaryan asked the head of the Investigative Committee why the criminal case was launched now, noting that Ajapahyan had called for a violent overthrow of power back in February 2024. Artur Poghosyan responded that the cleric repeated his call for a “military coup” on 21 June 2025:
“It is very important when and in what context a person makes such a statement.”
He emphasized that Adjapahyan repeated his appeal amid the exposure of the attempted coup:
“The investigative body already had information indicating that members of the clergy would be involved in this process. What were we supposed to do in that situation? Naturally, as a state institution, we had to treat it as grounds for initiating a criminal case. The essence of the crime is the attempt to influence the will and consciousness of the public through this call, and to incite people to take action aimed at seizing power.”
“The dates kept changing”
The chairman of the Investigative Committee also spoke about the case involving Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and members of the “Sacred Struggle” movement.
According to him, the group had been planning specific criminal acts since November 2024. However, the dates kept shifting:
“This was due to the cohesion and preparedness of the criminal group, as well as the need to acquire certain tools and resources. We have evidence that one of the planned dates for carrying out the crime was, for example, April 24, 2025 [Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day]. Other dates considered for action included May 9, May 28 [Republic Day], and mid-June 2025. According to the latest data, members of the group were waiting for certain moments and signals that could be presented to the public in a way that suited their narrative—meant to generate public discontent and trigger their actions.”
Poghosyan reminded that the group had been planning to kill people and cause serious harm to their health:
“The criminal group intended to create chaos and an uncontrollable situation in the country to achieve its goal. And that goal was clear — to seize power.”
What role was assigned to businessman Samvel Karapetyan?
The head of the Investigative Committee recalled that law enforcement agencies had information indicating that businessmen were recruiting participants for the coup. Moreover, there were even specific figures showing how many people each would provide for the planned actions. Artur Poghosyan stated there was also information suggesting that these businessmen would issue public calls:
“And when we see that a specific individual [Samvel Karapetyan], about whom we have information that he was supposed to recruit people, bring them in, and issue a public appeal — when that person actually makes a concrete statement, we evaluate that act within the framework of this crime.”
“A team of 100 investigators is working on the case”
Around 100 investigators are working on the case concerning the attempted coup. Poghosyan said that they have submitted dozens of motions to the court and carried out approximately one hundred searches.
“The preliminary investigation is in an active phase. I hope the main actions will be completed in the near future, and we will be able to refer the criminal case to court with an indictment, at least against the main members of the criminal group. The Investigative Committee and the National Security Service have uncovered a crime unprecedented in scale and in the number of individuals involved, and they managed to prevent it.”
“Not all have been detained”
Responding to a question about identifying the members of the criminal group, the chairman of the Investigative Committee stated that not all of them have been detained:
“The group’s actions were not limited to those individuals. There are other participants to whom we will assign procedural status in the near future.”
So far, 14 people have been arrested in connection with the attempted coup case.
“Whether the weapons are legally owned is irrelevant if they were intended for terrorism”
Searches conducted in the homes of leaders and members of the criminal group uncovered a large number of items intended for committing a crime, including firearms and ammunition. Law enforcement authorities published corresponding photographs. Members of the “Sacred Struggle” movement and their lawyers claimed that the weapons shown in the photos were legally owned.
Artur Poghosyan responded that the legality of the weapons is irrelevant to the investigation if they were intended for use in a terrorist act:
“If the weapons are illegal, that’s a separate offense. But we do not rule out the possibility that a terrorist act was planned and could be carried out using legally owned weapons.”
Masterminds behind the coup
“One direction of the investigation is to identify the full scope of the criminal group. It is also necessary to determine whether there is a foreign link,” said the head of the Investigative Committee.
For now, he refrained from naming any countries possibly involved in the crime.
Alongside the investigation into foreign links, law enforcement agencies are also working to uncover the financial sources behind the criminal group:
“In one of the recorded conversations between members of the group, there is talk of killing people [and providing compensation to their families]. Essentially, the question arises about the financing of those payments.”
“It’s fake”: on the recording allegedly featuring Pashinyan
Alongside reports about the foiled coup attempt, a recording circulated on social media in which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan allegedly calls on law enforcement leaders to find a way to arrest opposition figures. The prime minister’s spokesperson immediately declared the recording fake, and the Investigative Committee announced the launch of a criminal investigation.
“It is obvious that the recording is fabricated. We will determine its purpose. But in my view, the main goal was to discredit state institutions, cast doubt on our actions, and portray them in a different light,” noted the chairman of the Investigative Committee.
Poghosyan stated that the fake recording was created abroad. A case has been initiated on charges related to “computer fraud.”
“There is a specialized unit within the Investigative Committee that deals with uncovering such crimes. We have already obtained certain information during the investigation and identified the source. The committee will make an official statement on the matter soon,” he added.
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Attempted coup in Armenia
