Third Judge Refuses to Hear Karekin II Criminal Case, Sends It to Court of Cassation

A Yerevan judge has asked Armenia’s Court of Cassation to decide which court should hear the criminal case against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six senior bishops, adding another procedural turn to a case that has already moved between several judges.

Judge Vahagn Melikyan of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction referred the jurisdictional dispute to the Court of Cassation after the case was transferred from Armavir to Yerevan, the court said.

Under Armenia’s Criminal Procedure Code, a judge who receives a case transferred on territorial jurisdiction grounds may challenge that decision before preliminary hearings begin. The Court of Cassation’s Criminal Chamber must issue a final decision on jurisdiction within five days of receiving the case.

The case reached the Yerevan court Sept. 1 and was assigned to Melikyan the same day.

The case was previously handled by the Armavir Regional Court of First Instance. Judge Hakob Manukyan, the first judge assigned to the case, recused himself Aug. 7. The case was then assigned to Judge Serzh Rushanyan, who ruled Aug. 28 that it should be transferred to Yerevan.

Rushanyan cited the wording of the charges against Karekin II, which do not specify where the alleged act at the center of the case took place. The location is significant in determining which court has territorial jurisdiction.

Karekin II and six members of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Supreme Spiritual Council are accused of obstructing the enforcement of a court order in a dispute involving Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, also known as Arman Saroyan, the former head of the Diocese of Masyatsotn.

The dispute began after Karekin II removed Saroyan from his position in January 2026. Saroyan challenged the decision, and an Armavir court ordered that he temporarily remain in his post while the case was pending.

The court also barred church authorities from interfering with Saroyan’s duties or his management of diocesan financial accounts.

Church authorities later moved to defrock Saroyan. Prosecutors allege that Karekin II and members of the Supreme Spiritual Council took that step despite the court order, forming the basis of the criminal case against them.

The Court of Cassation will now decide whether the proceedings should remain in Yerevan or be heard by another court before the case can move forward.

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