Two Archbishops arrested in June, Mikael Ajapahyan and Bagrat Galstanyan, have announced a one-day hunger strike on July 5 to protest an "unconstitutional process" being carried out against them. The announcement came through a statement from Ajapahyan’s legal team, issued from his place of detention.

"On the occasion of Constitution Day in Armenia, condemning the unconstitutional process against us, we—Archbishops Mikael and Bagrat—announce a one-day hunger strike for July 5," reads the statement.

The clergy members reject the charges filed against them, labeling the cases as politically motivated.

On the morning of June 25, law enforcement agencies raided the homes of supporters of the Sacred Struggle movement. The Investigative Committee stated that members and leaders of the movement had allegedly planned terrorist acts and actions aimed at seizing power in Armenia. Later, it was confirmed that Archbishop Bagrat, the leader of the movement, had been arrested for two months. Fourteen others were also detained.

On June 27, around 30 masked individuals stormed the Shirak Diocese headquarters. However, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin at the time, attending a clergy assembly. Officers from the National Security Service entered the Mother See to detain him. Later, he appeared before the Investigative Committee and was remanded in custody for two months by court order. Ajapahyan faces criminal charges for making public calls aimed at “seizing power, violating territorial integrity, renouncing sovereignty, or violently overthrowing the constitutional order.”