A prominent cleric in Armenia was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday after being found guilty of calling for the overthrow of the government.

A court in Yerevan, Armenia, convicted Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan on September 24 for publicly calling for the government’s overthrow. His lawyer said he will appeal, calling the case politically motivated.

Ajapahyan was arrested in June after security forces attempted to detain him at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, prompting a tense standoff with clergy and supporters. He later appeared at the Investigative Committee and was ordered into pretrial detention. Prosecutors accused him of making public calls to seize power and violently overthrow the constitutional order. The Armenian Apostolic Church condemned the verdict, describi

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