Tag: Bagrat Galstanyan

Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan emerged in spring 2025 as the most prominent face of Armenian opposition to the Pashinyan government, leading the “Holy Struggle” movement that drew tens of thousands of demonstrators to the streets of Yerevan. His demands centered on the reversal of territorial concessions made to Azerbaijan and what he described as the government’s systematic dismantling of Armenian state institutions and national identity.

In June 2025, Galstanyan was arrested on charges of plotting a coup against the government. His detention was widely condemned by opposition groups, the Armenian diaspora, and international human rights observers as politically motivated. Groong has covered his rise as an opposition figure, the movement he led, and the legal proceedings against him, treating his case as a key indicator of the state of civil liberties and the church-state confrontation in Armenia.

Hovik & Asbed - Karekin II & Ilia II Funeral, Iran War, Armenia Elections | Ep 527, Mar 22, 2026 [EP527]

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Politics, Israel, USA, Turkey, Russia, China, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia | Series: cog, video

Topics:

  • Georgian Patriarch Ilia II passes away
  • Karekin II travel banned from funeral
  • Iran war update
  • June election in Armenia

Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

Hovik & Asbed - Karekin II & Ilia II Funeral, Iran War, Armenia Elections | Ep 527, Mar 22, 2026 [EP527]

Posted on Tuesday, Mar 24, 2026 | Category: Iran, Armenia, Politics, Israel, USA, Turkey, Russia, China, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia

Topics:

  • Georgian Patriarch Ilia II passes away
  • Karekin II travel banned from funeral
  • Iran war update
  • June election in Armenia

Episode 527 | Recorded: March 23, 2026

#Groong #Armenia

Joel Veldkamp - Christian Solidarity International Visits Armenian Bishops in Jail | Ep 513, Feb 4, 2026 [EP513]

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Armenian Church, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights | Series: cog, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • CSI Visits Jailed Cleric
  • IRF Summit
  • PACE MP Speaks Up

Episode 513 | Recorded: February 3, 2026

#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #IRFSummit2026 #ChristianSolidarityInternational

Joel Veldkamp - Christian Solidarity International Visits Armenian Bishops in Jail | Ep 513, Feb 4, 2026 [EP513]

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 4, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Armenian Church, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights

Guest:

Topics:

  • CSI Visits Jailed Cleric
  • IRF Summit
  • PACE MP Speaks Up

Episode 513 | Recorded: February 3, 2026

#ArmenianChurch #ReligiousFreedom #ClergyArrests #IRFSummit2026 #ChristianSolidarityInternational

Anna Grigoryan - Armenia’s Political Crisis | Ep 507, Jan 17, 2026 [EP507]

Posted on Saturday, Jan 17, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Elections, Politics, Armenian Church, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: cog, video

Guest:

Topics:

  • Return of Four Hostages
  • Pashinyan vs. Church
  • TRIPP
  • Armenia Parliamentary Election

Episode 507 | Recorded: January 16, 2026

#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #TRIPP #ArmenianChurch #POWs

Anna Grigoryan - Armenia’s Political Crisis | Ep 507, Jan 17, 2026 [EP507]

Posted on Saturday, Jan 17, 2026 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Elections, Politics, Armenian Church, Nagorno Karabakh

Guest:

Topics:

  • Return of Four Hostages
  • Pashinyan vs. Church
  • TRIPP
  • Armenia Parliamentary Election

Episode 507 | Recorded: January 16, 2026

#AnnaGrigoryan #Armenia #ArmenianPolitics #TRIPP #ArmenianChurch #POWs

Spotlight on Silence: InJustice in Armenia | Ep 497, Dec 18, 2025 [EP497]

Posted on Thursday, Dec 18, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Spotlight on Silence, Political Prisoners | Series: video, sos

Guest:

Follow ACPR on Facebook: Քաղաքական իրավունքների հայկական կենտրոն - ՔԻՀԿ / ACPR

Topics:

  • Criminalization of Speech and Dissent in Armenia
  • Legal Pressure on Lawyers, Journalists, and Clergy
  • Selective Justice and Coordinated Propaganda
  • Article 236 and the Policing of Protest

Episode 497 | Recorded: December 14, 2025

#SpotlightOnSilence #ArmeniaJustice #PoliticalPrisoners #FreedomOfSpeech #RuleOfLaw #HumanRights #Groong

 Read More

Spotlight on Silence: InJustice in Armenia | Ep 497, Dec 18, 2025 [EP497]

Posted on Thursday, Dec 18, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Spotlight on Silence, Political Prisoners

Guest:

Follow ACPR on Facebook: Քաղաքական իրավունքների հայկական կենտրոն - ՔԻՀԿ / ACPR

Topics:

  • Criminalization of Speech and Dissent in Armenia
  • Legal Pressure on Lawyers, Journalists, and Clergy
  • Selective Justice and Coordinated Propaganda
  • Article 236 and the Policing of Protest

Episode 497 | Recorded: December 14, 2025

#SpotlightOnSilence #ArmeniaJustice #PoliticalPrisoners #FreedomOfSpeech #RuleOfLaw #HumanRights #Groong

 Read More

Arthur Khachatryan - Euronest, Aliyev Transit Move, Gyumri Mayor Arrest, Pashinyan vs. Church | Ep 481, Oct 26, 2025 [EP481]

Posted on Friday, Oct 31, 2025 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Azerbaijan, Armenian Church, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Euronest session takeaways
  • Aliyev’s transit move and TRIPP
  • Gyumri mayor arrest fallout
  • Pashinyan’s push to control the Church

Episode 481 | Recorded: October 29, 2025