YEREVAN, September 2. /TASS/. Judge Armine Meliksetyan of the Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan has extended the detention of Archbishop Mikael Ajapahian, head of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), for another month. The extension was granted during a hearing on Tuesday, following a motion filed by the prosecutor.

"The detention of Archbishop Mikael shall be extended for another month," ruled Judge Meliksetyan, citing the ongoing risk that the archbishop might commit similar acts again. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 15.

During the proceedings, Archbishop Mikael addressed the court, requesting an end to what he described as mental torture. "When the prosecution speaks, my intellect is tortured. Please save me from this. Sentence me to life imprisonment, and that will be the end of it," he implored.

The criminal case against Archbishop Mikael was initiated on June 26, following the Prosecutor General’s Office’s allegations that he called for the overthrow of the constitutional order. He was detained the following day and, on June 28, was remanded in custody for two months by a court decision. The archbishop maintains his innocence.

The trial commenced on August 15, and Judge Meliksetyan has since extended his detention as the legal proceedings continue.