Prosecutors in the Galstanyan case have requested that the defendants' speeches be restricted.

Prosecutors in the "Sacred Struggle" case petitioned that the judge silence those speaking about circumstances unrelated to the criminal case during the trial. This provides the defendants with an opportunity to refute false accusations, the defendants stated.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, at a hearing on January 8, the defense demanded that the charges brought against members of the "Sacred Struggle" movement in the case of seizing power be personalized, a position the court upheld. Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan pointed out the lack of expert examinations in the case and called the charges unsubstantiated. In November 2025, a Yerevan court extended for another three months the pretrial detention of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who is accused of plotting to seize state power. On June 25, 2025, security forces conducted more than 90 searches in connection with a plot to seize power in Armenia. By court order, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of the Sacred Struggle movement, and 14 other individuals were remanded in custody. A day earlier, on June 24, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the prevention of a coup and published a document containing the text of the opposition's alleged plan to remove him from power.

Today, at a regular court hearing in the case of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the prosecutor's office petitioned the judge to interrupt the opposition's speeches if they speak out on circumstances unrelated to the case, the Armenia publication reports. Today.

The leader of the "Sacred Struggle," Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, commented on the court's decision to accept the motion to restrict the speeches of the defendants in the case. He stated that he considers it unacceptable to call him a criminal and a terrorist, emphasizing that he served the Church and his people for 30 years. According to Galstanyan, if the patience of the participants in the case has not yet been exhausted, then no one has the right to dictate the court's course of action, especially given the professional experience of the judges.

Artur Sargsyan, a member of parliament from the opposition "Armenia" faction, stated in court that the defendants are using their speeches solely to defend their own dignity and defend themselves against unfounded accusations. He emphasized that depriving defendants of the opportunity to respond to false statements by representatives of investigative bodies is unacceptable.

"If the chairman of the Investigative Committee lied, should I not say that he lied? Then they will say that it is irrelevant to the case and turn off the microphone. Of course, it is irrelevant, but the man lied. Dear prosecutors, if you want this to not happen, file a petition with the Investigative Committee so that they do not say anything," the deputy said.

The leader of the opposition movement "Kamk" Vahagn Chakhalyan stated in court that the participants in the case have already had their right to freedom of movement illegally restricted, and now they are essentially trying to deprive them of their right to freedom of speech. According to him, the courtroom remains the only place where he can express his position, and demands to restrict speech have no legal basis.

"Our right to freedom of movement is already illegally restricted; you have practically deprived us of the right to freedom of speech. The only place where I can more or less say what I want is the courtroom. And now you demand that we be deprived of the right to freedom of speech here too. We are not terrorists, we are liberators and freedom fighters. We are completely and utterly devoted to the idea of liberating Armenia. Sooner or later, with God's grace and help, we will solve the task before us. We will not only restore justice, but also liberate our homeland," he said.

"We have managed to show the public that this case was fabricated from the very beginning, this trial is a farce, a blatant example of political persecution. Today, Archbishop Bagrat is deprived of his freedom because this campaign against the church was supposed to take place, and he, thanks to his authority, "It would certainly have been a deterrent; he would have been able to definitely change the situation. That's why he was deprived of his freedom," News.Am quotes Galstanyan's lawyer, Sergey Harutyunyan.

The next hearing will take place on January 22, the publication clarifies.

As a reminder, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan harshly criticized the church at a government meeting on May 29, and responded to Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan's objections with insults on Facebook*. Armenian politicians and church representatives demanded that Pashinyan apologize for insulting the church.

The court also sentenced Archbishop Mikael Ajapayan, Primate of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to two years in prison. The defense intends to appeal the verdict, and the case against Bagrat Galstanyan continues in court. Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and Priest Garegin Arsenyan have been arrested on charges of coercion to participate in public gatherings.