Armenia has imprisoned half of its archbishops as part of a widening crackdown on dissent, campaigners and politicians say, raising alarm over the future of the world’s oldest Christian nation ahead of Christmas 2025.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, facing deep public discontent, has also fined citizens for social media posts, detained critics, and confiscated church property. He has publicly called for the deposition of Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
“Armenian Christians are under growing pressure,” said Lord Jackson of Peterborough, Vice Chair of the APPG on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
“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.”
The tensions between the church and government trace back to Pashinyan’s handling of the 2020-2023 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended with an Azeri victory and prompted 120,000 Armenian Christians to flee the enclave.
Businessman Samvel Karapetyan, the church’s largest benefactor, has been imprisoned since the summer after publicly supporting the church and offering mild criticism of the Prime Minister. Pashinyan has further sought to punish him by nationalising one of his largest assets, Armenia’s electricity network.
The crackdown is being closely watched internationally. King Charles III, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England, highlighted the plight of persecuted Christians during a service at Westminster Abbey on 10th December. The King’s attendance reflected his longstanding commitment to defending Christians struggling to worship freely.
Campaigners warned that the situation poses a stark threat to worshippers whose faith in the Armenian Apostolic Church dates back more than 2,000 years, and raises concerns about religious freedom and human rights in the country.
