Jailed Armenian Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian petitions to European Court of Human Rights

Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian, the jailed Primate of the Diocese of Shirak of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights through his lawyers, alleging violations of his rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.

The appeal states facts and arguments regarding Archbishop Ajapahian’s unlawful detention (Article 5), violation of freedom of expression (Article 10), as well as deprivation of liberty and criminal prosecution for political purposes (Article 18).

The Armenian Criminal Court of Appeal hearing will continue today, starting at 3pm. The decision of the court will be announced regarding the consideration of the motion to commute Archbishop Ajapahian’s pretrial detention.