The head of the Shirak Diocese, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, who was found guilty by a court of first instance, will remain under house arrest.

His lawyers had appealed to the Court of Appeal, asking it to revoke the preventive measure imposed on him.

Defense lawyer Yerem Sargsyan presented the court with a petition from believers of the Shirak Diocese requesting the cleric’s release so that he could participate in church services. The court rejected the defense motion but allowed the archbishop to attend liturgies, according to RFE/RL.

The lawyers argued that one-third of the sentence has already been served, which they said constitutes a new circumstance that could justify lifting the house arrest. Lawyer Marine Farmanyan also noted that the archbishop had demonstrated proper behavior while in detention, which could also serve as grounds for release.

The prosecutor, however, stated that he saw no sufficient grounds to change the preventive measure.

After spending eight months in detention, Archbishop Ajapahyan has now been under house arrest for more than a month.

The senior cleric, who is accused of publicly calling for the seizure of power, rejects the charges and has said the case against him is politically motivated.

A month after undergoing surgery, Ajapahyan visited the Izmirlian Medical Center for a follow-up medical examination. According to the clinic, his health condition is currently assessed as satisfactory, Aysor.am reported.

The archbishop will continue to remain under medical supervision.

Criminal proceedings were initiated against Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan on charges of making public calls aimed at seizing power, violating territorial integrity, renouncing sovereignty, or violently overthrowing the constitutional order. He was arrested on June 28. On February 6, the preventive measure against him was changed to house arrest.