The court on Thursday extended the detention of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the former Primate of the Diocese of Tavush of the Armenian Apostolic Church, for two months.

“At the moment, the case is in the main hearing stage, and the grounds and conditions previously recorded by the court have not been eliminated or changed. That is, alternative preventive measures are not lawful,” the court noted.

The public prosecutor had motioned the court to extend Archbishop Galstanyan’s detention for three months. The prosecution’s aforesaid motion was accompanied by protests and holding of respective banners in court.

The public prosecutor stated that the grounds for the preventive measure applied to Archbishop Galstanyan have not been eliminated, or at least have not been changed.

“Bagrat Galstanyan may hinder the investigation of the case from the point of view of influencing the persons participating in the trial,” the public prosecutor said.

In turn, Archbishop Galstanyan’s lawyer first reminded that the prosecution had not yet submitted operational data on the basis of which Galstanyan was wiretapped.

“There was no reason and basis for initiating criminal proceedings in the indictment. Yes, there was no wording that would testify to the preparation for seizing power,” the lawyer noted.

The Investigative Committee of Armenia had published audio recordings of the leaders and participants of the movement called “Holy Struggle.” On June 25, 2025, a statement was issued by the Investigative Committee, which stated that the participants and leaders of the “Holy Struggle” movement had planned to carry out terrorist and power-seizing actions in Armenia.

At the moment, out of the 18 defendants in this case, only Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and Vahagn Chakhalyan are in custody.