Archbishop convicted of inciting coup transferred to hospital for surgery

A senior archbishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church, serving a two-year prison sentence for calling for a coup, has been transferred to a Yerevan hospital to undergo surgery.

“Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan has already been transferred to the Izmirlian Medical Center. He is currently undergoing medical examinations,” the archbishop’s attorneys said in a statement.

Ajapahyan, the Prelate of the Diocese of Shirak of the Armenian Apostolic Church, reportedly requires urgent surgery for an unspecified condition.

On December 11, the archbishop’s lawyers said they were officially notified by the penitentiary’s medical service that the transfer request had been approved.

Ajapahyan was jailed without bail in June on charges of advocating the violent overthrow of the government. The charges stem from a television interview in which he called for a military overthrow of the government, according to prosecutors. Ajapahyan has denied the accusations, arguing that his remarks do not constitute a criminal offense. He was found guilty and sentenced to two years in October.