Ex-ombudsman accuses Pashinyan of ‘political vendetta’ against church

ormer Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has condemned the latest detention of senior Armenian clerics as part of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Six clergymen, including the head of the Aragatsotn Diocese, were detained following searches at their homes on Wednesday. The detentions are part of a criminal probe into allegations of pressure to attend anti-government protests in Armenia in 2021.

Lawyer Ara Zohrabyan has stated that both the clergy and the diocese’s lay staff have been unlawfully deprived of their freedom. The whereabouts of Aragatsotn Diocese leader Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan remain unknown.

“The prime minister has assumed the functions of a court, prosecutor, investigator and officer and moved on to the next phase of a political vendetta against the church, first through government propaganda aimed at discrediting and dividing the church, and now through concrete action,” Tatoyan wrote on Facebook.

He also highlighted an alignment between Pashinyan’s anti-church actions and recent statements from Azerbaijan. “Political persecution by Nikol Pashinyan and hostile statements from Azerbaijan against the Armenian Church have, as always, gone hand in hand. Just a few days ago, Azerbaijan’s spiritual leader made hostile remarks and false accusations against the Armenian Church,” the ex-ombudsman added.