Today, February 6, the Court of Appeals ruled on the lawyers’ motion to lift Archbishop Michael Ajapakhian’s pretrial detention. By court order, he was placed under house arrest.
At the previous hearing, the defense filed a motion to lift the pretrial detention, taking into account the archbishop’s condition, his upcoming second surgery, and the risks associated with returning to prison after the operation.
It should be noted that Archbishop Michael was sentenced to two years in prison for publicly calling for the seizure of power. He is accused of “having a large number of supporters, and then publicly calling for the seizure of power in an interview with media representatives on February 3, 2024, and then on June 21, 2025.” The lawyers and the prosecutor’s office appealed this decision to the Court of Appeals.
The archbishop has health problems, and his lawyers argue that the detention is not an acceptable measure to restrict free speech, but rather a suppression of free speech.