Catholicos of All Armenians Кareкin II has visited the detained Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, head of the Shirak Diocese, аccording to Aravot.am .
The Catholicos was reportedly accompanied by a group of bishops. Though contact with the Information Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin could not be established, the visit is said to have taken place in that format, according to the outlet.
Roughly a month ago, Armenian authorities had denied the Catholicos’s initial request to visit Archbishop Mikael while he was in pre-trial detention. During a court session, defense attorney Yerem Sargsyan told reporters: “The investigator rejected the petition.”
Ajapahyan’s legal team has appealed the court's August 15 decision to extend his detention, Panorama.am reports.
The lawyers requested the Appeals Court to overturn the ruling by the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan and either release the Archbishop or apply an alternative preventive measure.
The appeal, filed on September 3, was assigned to Appeals Court Judge Adrine Ghukasyan.
On June 27, about 30 masked individuals stormed the premises of Shirak Diocese. Archbishop Ajapahyan, however, was at the Mother See of Etchmiadzin attending a clergy assembly. He later appeared before the Investigative Committee and was remanded for two months by court order. He is facing charges of making public calls to seize power, violate territorial integrity, renounce sovereignty, or overthrow the constitutional order by force.
