Karekin II discusses Armenian authorities` campaign against Church  with Amsterdam

ArmInfo. Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II met with international lawyer and human rights activist Robert Amsterdam in Holy Etchmiadzin. He  also represents the interests of the leader of the Strong Armenia  party, Samvel Karapetyan, who is accused of calling for the seizure  of power in the country for his public support of the Armenian  Church.

According to the press office of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,  the conversation focused on the Armenian authorities' campaign  against the Church, the repressions and illegal criminal prosecutions  of clergy and Armenians who have spoken out in defense of the Church  on trumped-up charges. In this context, the need to uphold the rule  of law, international human rights standards, and principles of  justice was emphasized.

As a reminder, in May 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  launched a broad anti-church campaign, demanding the resignation of  the Catholicos of All Armenians. As part of this campaign, anyone who  disagreed with the campaign under one or another serious article was  imprisoned. Moreover, 10 bishops joined Pashinyan's demand. On  December 5, 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced  the creation of a coordinating council to organize the reform process  of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He published a roadmap for  resolving this issue. And already on the night of January 5, a  framework agreement on the creation of the council was signed by  Nikol Pashinyan and the 10 bishops who joined his campaign. It is  worth noting that, according to the Constitution, Armenia is a  secular state, where church and state are separate. At the same time,  the "exceptional mission" of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) in  preserving national identity is recognized.