The Catholicos of All Armenians is banned from leaving the country.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has initiated criminal proceedings against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, and he is banned from leaving the country.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," six clergymen of the Armenian Apostolic Church have been summoned to the investigative department as defendants in a criminal case and banned from leaving the country, amid the announcement of a bishops' conference in Austria. The Church accused the Armenian authorities of interfering in internal affairs and violating human rights.

Lawyer Ara Zohrabyan announced the initiation of a criminal prosecution against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

According to the lawyer, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has initiated a criminal prosecution against the Catholicos on charges of obstructing the execution of a judicial decision related to Arman Saroyan (defrocked Archbishop Gevorg Saroyan - ed.).

Zohrabyan also stated that the Catholicos is prohibited from leaving Armenia. "This could impact participation in the bishops' meeting planned for Austria," the lawyer noted, calling the authorities' actions "unprecedented" and "historically shameful," according to News Armenia.

The very fact that criminal proceedings have been instituted against the Catholicos of All Armenians is, "to put it mildly, shameful," said human rights activist Ruben Melikyan.

"What we've been talking about for about two weeks has happened. On direct orders from the authorities of the Republic of Armenia, the prosecutor's office has instituted criminal proceedings against the Catholicos of All Armenians, and the investigative body has chosen a travel ban as a preventive measure. "This is a historical disgrace," Aysor.Am quotes him as saying.

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that the brother and nephew of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, Gevork Nersisyan and Ambartsum Nersisyan, were detained on charges of obstructing a campaign and hooliganism in November 2025. Both were arrested.

As a reminder, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on January 4 announced plans to "improve" the Armenian Apostolic Church, which include the removal of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, the adoption of a new charter, and the election of a new head of the church.