Mikayel Ajapahyan’s lawyers appeal to the ECHR
The legal defense team of Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, Leader of the Shirak Diocese, has filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the violation of rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights. This information was released in a statement by Ajapahyan’s defense team.
The application cites the illegal detention of the Archbishop (Article 5), violation of freedom of expression (Article 10), as well as the deprivation of liberty and criminal prosecution carried out for political purposes (Article 18).
Today, the RA Criminal Court of Appeal will publish the decision regarding the change of Archbishop Mikayel’s preventive measure.
As a reminder, a criminal case was initiated against Mikayel Ajapahyan under the article involving public calls to seize power, violate territorial integrity, and forcibly overthrow the constitutional order. The Archbishop was detained on June 28.
On October 3, Judge Armine Meliksetyan of the Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction found him guilty and sentenced him to 2 years of imprisonment.
The defense filed an appeal on November 13, requesting that the verdict be completely overturned and the Archbishop’s innocence be recognized. The hearing scheduled for December 15 was postponed. The judicial discussion planned for January 13 was also delayed due to Archbishop Mikayel’s health condition.
