Canadian cleric arrested in Armenia in connection to alleged coup attempt

A prominent Canadian cleric of the Armenian Apostolic Church is among more than a dozen people Armenia's security services have arrested in connection to an alleged coup attempt this week. 

Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who heads the Tavush Diocese in Armenia's northeast, grabbed national attention last year in the Southern Caucasus country when he began leading a protest movement asking for the resignation of its prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, and even saying he would be open to replacing him as Armenia's leader. 

That movement picked up steam following land concessions made by Armenia to neighbouring Azerbaijan that involved the handover of Armenian border villages.

Galstanyan, a dual Canadian and Armenian citizen, served as primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada in Montreal from 2003 to 2013. 

Pashinyan praised the work of law enforcement on his Facebook page, writing in Armenian that they prevented a "large and despicable" plan to destabilize his government through acts of terrorism and seize power.

He also linked to a statement by Armenia's Investigative Committee, which had carried out the arrests.

The committee said it had seized explosives and weaponry, and accused Galstanyan's protest movement of planning to conduct bombings and stage accidents on major roads to disrupt traffic.

Galstanyan's movement has denied the charges, calling them "fiction."

Reached for comment, Global Affairs Canada said it is "aware that a Canadian citizen was arrested in Armenia," and added "consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather more information." 

The arrests come after escalating tensions between the Armenian government and the country's Apostolic Church, which has been increasingly critical of Pashinyan after Armenia's loss to Azerbaijan in a 2020 war over the then Armenian-controlled enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan's military campaign in September 2023 that forced the territory's approximately 120,000 ethnic Armenians to flee, abandoning their homes. 

Last month, Pashinyan accused the head of the church, Catholicos Karekin II, of secretly fathering a child despite a vow of celibacy. An Armenian priest then implied in a social media post Pashinyan is circumcised and not a true Christian. Earlier this week, Pashinyan took to Facebook to say he is ready to invite both the catholicos and the priest over and  "prove otherwise." 

Citing confidentiality, Global Affairs Canada said it cannot disclose further information about its involvement since Galstanyan's arrest.

The Canadian government inaugurated its embassy in Armenia in October 2023, and has recently staffed up its presence there due to the conflict between neighbouring Iran and Israel, which has triggered an exodus from the Iran-Armenia border, including some Canadians. 

In November 2022, Galstanyan attended the opening of a smaller Canadian diplomatic office, an honourary consul, as a guest.

In 2020, in the final days of the war against Azerbaijan, Galstanyan made waves on social media with a performance of an Armenian liturgical hymn at a cathedral in the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Shushi, even as bombs could be heard landing outside the structure.

Former immigration minister Jason Kenney had shared the video on his social media channels at the time, calling Galstanyan a "dear friend" and saying it was touching to see.