Court schedules August hearing in case involving Catholicos Karekin II

The first preliminary hearing in the criminal case involving Catholicos Karekin II and six bishops and archbishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church has been scheduled for August 7, 2026, at 16:00, lawyer Ara Zohrabyan said.

According to him, the criminal case has been transferred to the Armavir Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction and assigned to Judge Hakob Manukyan.

The hearing is scheduled to take place at a court in the city of Vagharshapat, where Etchmiadzin Cathedral and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin are located.

The lawyer said Karekin II has been charged with obstructing the enforcement of a legally binding judicial act while using his official powers in his capacity as chairman of the Supreme Spiritual Council.

The charge concerns the alleged obstruction of the enforcement of a decision by the Armavir Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction regarding the application of an interim measure to secure a claim.

According to Zohrabyan, the criminal proceedings pertain to an order issued by Catholicos Karekin II regarding the defrocking of Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, the former Primate of the Masyatsotn Diocese, which encompasses parts of Armenia’s southern Ararat Province.