Gevorg Baghdasarian headed a key division of Armenia’s Investigative Committee tasked with combating “crimes against the state, the foundations of the constitutional order and public security.” The law-enforcement agency gave no reason for his resignation. Nor did Baghdasarian make any public statements.
Baghdasarian’s division is in charge of three high-profile cases opened in June amid Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s campaign against the top clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Investigators first arrested Karapetian and charged him with calling for a violent regime change hours after the tycoon condemned Pashinian’s campaign on June 17.
One week later, they rounded up Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian and 14 other men on charges of plotting “terrorist acts” in a bid to seize power. They went on to arrest another outspoken archbishop, Mikael Ajapahian. Like Karapetian, Ajapahian, is prosecuted for publicly advocating “the seizure of power.”
All of the suspects reject the accusations as politically motivated. Armenian opposition leaders have likewise accused the Investigative Committee of executing Pashinian’s orders.
The committee announced the completion of its inquiries into Galstanian and Ajapahian on Friday and Monday respectively. It said the separate cases will be sent to courts soon.
The controversial arrests were followed by reports that security forces may raid the Echmiadzin headquarters of the Armenian Church and even arrest its supreme head, Catholicos Garegin II. Pashinian hinted at such a raid on July 7. But it did not happen.
Baghdasarian previously worked as the country’s deputy prosecutor-general. He was also a prosecutor in the marathon trial of former President Robert Kocharian that ended without a verdict in December 2023.