Christians have called upon the Armenian government to end what it calls the “persecution” of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Signatories of the joint statement include the NGOs Christian Solidarity International (CSI), Coptic Solidarity, and SOS Chrétiens d’Orient.
Relations between the Armenian Apostolic Church and the government are currently severely strained. Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan has been arrested on charges of encouraging the overthrow of the government by undemocratic means.
Armenian prosecutors point to a number of statements made by the archbishop appearing to call for a coup. In one he told News.am, “I called for a coup to save the country from this madman, they are not saving it, they are also guilty of all this. This is not just a call, it must be done.”
As well as arresting senior clergy, Armenian security forces have carried out a number of law enforcement actions at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
In a statement CSI said it had “grave concerns over the intensifying campaign by the Armenian government against the Armenian Apostolic Church and its supporters.”
“Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed the apparently arbitrary detention of senior members of the clergy and of prominent supporters of the church, the expropriation of their property, and the use of police force within sacred spaces, including the Mother See of the Armenian Apostolic Church at Etchmiadzin," the Switzerland-based organisation said.
CSI said that the government was effectively trying to take control of the church by suggesting the replacement of the church’s Catholicos with a state-run committee.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has not denied this, in fact claiming that he is attempting to save the church from “anti-Christian” and “anti-state” groups that he says have have taken over the church.
CSI called upon the government to release those who have been arrested, including Archbishop Ajapahyan, to cease all interference in the internal workings of the church, and to ensure that the judiciary and other state apparatus deal justly with the church.
Earlier this month, the World Council of Churches (WCC) issued a statement expressing “deep concern” at the current state of affairs.
