The British government has said that it “is monitoring the situation” in Armenia, where the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been locked in a years-long battle with the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.
Pashinyan has said that the government will be taking over the Church to create a “real, pure state-centred Church”. Critics say the move would violate the Armenian constitution and is reminiscent of a Soviet-era dictator.
The Armenian government has argued that leading figures in the Church have not only expressed dissent, but called for the violent overthrow of the elected government and for the assassination of government figures.
At a recent meeting of the Council of Europe, British MP Sir Edward Leigh questioned Armenian Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan. Sir Edward accused Pashinyan of trying to create a church that is “banned from dissenting from the state … to this end he has arrested a third of the bishops of Armenia. How is this anything other than a violation of the democratic rights of freedom of religion and freedom of speech that the Council of Europe is supposed to uphold?”
In response, Mirzoyan stated, “I completely disagree with some of your qualifications and I’m afraid your information is not completely true … There is no persecution of clergymen in Armenia.
“Some citizens of Armenia call for the violent removal of democratically elected government from power through coup d’etats and … public calls for assassination of some of the leadership of Armenia – including myself by the way …. The very sad reality in Armenia [is] we do have some clergymen who did this.”
Separately, Human Rights Watch has issued a report on Armenia that says the country has “serious human rights concerns”, particularly restrictions on the media, a lack of judicial independence, and ineffective measures for investigating police abuses.
The news that Britain is paying attention to the situation in Armenia was welcomed by lawyers representing Samvel Karapetyan, a billionaire supporter of the Church, who has been detained and had some of his assets nationalised.
Robert Amsterdam, of Amsterdam & Partners, said, “It is good news that the UK government is paying attention to the shocking clampdown on religious freedom in Armenia.
"However, it can and must do more to remind the Armenian authorities of their international obligations and the consequences that will flow if Prime Minister Pashinyan continues on this path.”
