Ara Zohrabyan, legal counsel for Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, stated after the verdict was announced that both the sentence length and type had been anticipated.
He added that they have already received a decision from the Court of Cassation rejecting their appeal concerning Ajapahyan’s initial detention, and the matter will now be taken to international courts.
The October 3 ruling will also be appealed at the appellate court level.
Zohrabyan pointed out that the judge was in such a hurry that she cited the wrong article — Article 442, Part 2, which pertains to “illegal participation of an official in entrepreneurial activity.” However, Ajapahyan was charged under Article 422, which refers to “public calls for the usurpation of power.”
