A rally in support of the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops took place in Moscow.

ArmInfo. A protest was held outside the Armenian embassy in Moscow in support of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and six bishops, who faced another court hearing on August 28.

According to blogger Mika Badalyan on his Telegram channel, the protest was held under the slogans "Shame on the authorities persecuting clergy," "Shame on the schismatics and traitors of the Church," and "The Church and the people are united." "A protest was held outside the Armenian embassy in Moscow in support of the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops who are being subjected to repression in Armenia." "The rally brought together hundreds of people, who, by their presence, expressed their protest against the processes currently underway in Armenia and declared their readiness to stand to the end for the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC)," Badalyan wrote.

As a reminder, since May 2025, the Armenian authorities have launched an active anti-church policy and are seeking the resignation of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, who is elected to this position for life. As part of this campaign, both clergy and citizens who support the Church are being persecuted. In February of this year, the Armenian Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal case against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, and he is banned from leaving the country. The case is based on charges of obstructing the execution of a judicial decision related to the defrocking of Arman Saroyan. Khachatur Galstyan has been appointed prosecutor in the criminal case. Several other high-ranking clergy are also involved in the case. On August 7, Judge Hakob Manukyan, who was scheduled to preside over the first hearing in the case of the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops, recused himself. The case was then assigned to Judge Serzh Rushanyan. The preliminary hearing in the criminal case against the Catholicos of All Armenians and six bishops took place on August 28, 2026, at 4:30 PM at the Vagharshapat Courthouse in Etchmiadzin. During the hearing, the judge decided to transfer the case of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and six bishops to the Yerevan Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction.