Campaigners have warned that Christians in Armenia are under increasing pressure from the state, with half of the nation’s archbishops having been imprisoned.
Relations between the Armenian Apostolic Church and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan started breaking down following Armenia’s defeat in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020.
The end of the war saw 120,000 Armenians flee the victorious Azerbaijanis and led to protests against the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
In response to increasing internal dissent, Pashinyan has been accused of using increasingly authoritarian measures, including fining citizens for social media posts. Critics of the government have faced threats or even been detained.
Earlier this year Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was 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.”
Christian Solidarity International has warned that the government is effectively trying to take control of the church by suggesting the replacement of the church’s leader, Catholicos Karekin II, with a state-run committee.
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 taken over the church. He has also stated that he wants Karekin removed.
While Karekin remains free, campaigners argue he is under increasing threat from the government, which has imprisoned half of all the country’s archbishops.
Businessman Samvel Karapetyan, a prominent supporter of the church, has also been imprisoned for his criticism of Pashinyan. Pashinyan took further action against Karapetyan by nationalising one of his largest assets, the Armenian electricity network.
Conservative peer, Lord Jackson of Peterborough, who is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, said, “Armenian Christians are under growing pressure.
"Prime Minister Pashinyan’s government, facing deep public anger, is sliding into authoritarianism: silencing critics, fining citizens for social-media posts, and targeting the Armenian Apostolic Church, the nation’s most trusted institution.
“This crackdown on free speech and on the Church is unacceptable. Friends of Armenia must say so clearly: the Armenian people, and their ancient Christian heritage, deserve protection not persecution from their own government.”
