An Armavir court sentenced Catholicos Karekin II’s brother and nephew to prison on November 12 over disputed allegations of obstructing election campaigning, as Nikol Pashinyan continues his public campaign to remove the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Gevorg Nersisyan, the Catholicos’s brother, received a three-year prison sentence, suspended subject to probation. His son, Hambardzum Nersisyan, was sentenced to three years and five months, with enforcement postponed until his child turns six. Neither will be imprisoned immediately under the ruling.
The sentences were considerably shorter than those sought by prosecutors, who had demanded three years and six months for Gevorg and a combined seven years and six months for Hambardzum, including the unserved portion of a previous suspended sentence.
The case stems from an alleged incident on November 1, 2025, in Voskehat, during the campaign for local elections in Vagharshapat. Harutyun Mkrtchyan, a candidate from the “Republic” party, which has cooperated with Pashinyan’s ruling “Civil Contract” party, accused the two men of interfering with election campaigning.
Both have denied wrongdoing. Their lawyers have described the accusations as baseless and fabricated, arguing that surveillance footage and witness testimony contradict the prosecution’s account.
Despite the defense’s objections, Judge Gevorg Manukyan found both men guilty on October 8.
The Nersisyans were arrested on November 2, 2025, and placed in pretrial detention the following day. They remained detained until February 2026, when the court transferred them to house arrest with bail and travel restrictions. In May, they were released from house arrest but remained under supervision.
The proceedings have unfolded alongside Pashinyan’s confrontation with the Armenian Apostolic Church. He has repeatedly called for Catholicos Karekin II’s removal, while criminal cases involving senior clergymen have prompted accusations from Church representatives and government critics that the administration is using criminal proceedings to pressure the institution.
The case against the Catholicos’s own relatives has become another focus of those allegations. The defense maintains that the prosecution failed to establish the alleged interference, yet both men have now received prison sentences after spending months under detention and other restrictions.
The court did not order their immediate imprisonment. Their convictions, however, remain in place.
