One activist arrested and MP facing charges in Holy Struggle ‘coup attempt’ in Armenia
An Armenian–Georgian activist, Vahagn Chakhalyan, has been arrested on charges of terrorism and seeking to overthrow the state as part of the case against an alleged coup attempt by the Holy Struggle movement in Armenia. The Prosecutor General’s Office has also demanded that parliament waive the immunity of an MP in order to charge him in the case.
Chakhalyan was detained on Saturday, according to state-run news agency Armenpress.
Chakhalyan, who was born in Georgia’s historical region of Javakheti, has long advocated for Armenia’s annexation of Javakheti, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians. He is the leader of Georgia’s United Javakhk Democratic Alliance, an organisation aimed at promoting Armenian interests in the region.
Chakhalyan’s arrest came as the authorities continue to pursue those it accuses of attempting to overthrow the government in a violent coup plotted by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and his Holy Struggle movement.
According to Civil.ge, Chakhalyan was arrested in Georgia in 2008 on charges of illegal weapons possessions, hooliganism, and carrying out acts against public order. He was released by the ruling Georgian Dream party as part of an amnesty in 2013.
Georgia’s imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, whose United National Movement (UNM) was in power at the time of Chakhalyan’s arrest, posted on Facebook criticising Chakhalyan on Sunday.
‘Chakhalyan did not work for Armenians neither in Georgia nor in Armenia. He was a GRU agent based in Akhalkalaki. Georgian Dream also did Russia’s bidding by releasing him from prison’, he wrote, referring to Russia’s military intelligence agency.
An MP faces criminal charges in the coup case
In Armenia’s Parliament on Monday, the prosecutor general demanded that parliament waive the immunity of Artur Sargsyan, an MP from the opposition Armenia faction, in order to prosecute him on charges of participating in the alleged coup.
Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan said that criminal proceedings had been launched against Sargsyan in March 2025 based on a report received from the National Security Service (NSS). She claimed that Sargsyan and other members of the Holy Struggle movement intended to achieve a change of power through ‘unconstitutional’ means.
According to Civilnet, she outlined their plans to carry out ‘socially dangerous actions, which are accompanied by the risk of harming the life and health of civilians, causing property damage and causing other grave consequences, with the aim of intimidating the population, disrupting the work of state bodies, and forcing the authorities to resign’.
The prosecution is basing its arguments on data they say they obtained through secret investigative measures by tapping the residence of the leader of the Holy Struggle movement, Archbishop Galstanyan.
Holy Struggle, previously known as the Tavush for the Motherland movement, was founded as a protest movement against the border delimitation process, which began with Azerbaijan in the Tavush region.
The movement gradually grew into a series of anti-government protests demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation. The demonstrations were attended by thousands of people — a number not seen since the 2018 revolution that brought Pashinyan to power — but later faded.
In late June, the authorities raided the homes of dozens of opposition figures, including Galstanyan, following which he and 14 others were arrested for allegedly plotting ‘terrorist attacks and a coup d’état’.
The authorities claimed Galstanyan had been recruiting followers to form ‘strike teams’ intended to carry out terrorist acts aimed at overthrowing the government and seizing power.
According to the Investigative Committee, during meetings with participants and supporters of the Holy Struggle, Galstanyan ‘categorically ruled out’ assuming power via elections. Instead, Galstanyan allegedly announced that implementation of the movement’s ultimate goal would be ‘not through the logic of gatherings, but through mutually agreed-upon violent action by small strike groups at a convenient moment’.
The Investigative Committee alleged that the movement decided to form up to 250 such units consisting of 25 military-trained persons, mostly former military servicemembers and ex-police officers, each with specific objectives. They were allegedly to be tasked with creating ‘an uncontrollable situation’ throughout Armenia within 24 to 36 hours.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
