SOS Chrétiens d’Orient joins Christian Solidarity International and Coptic Solidarity in calling on the Armenian government to cease its attacks against the Armenian Apostolic Church.
17 July 2025
Religious freedom organizations call on Armenian government to end attacks on Armenian church.
We, the undersigned organizations and individuals dedicated to the promotion of international freedom of religion or
belief, express our 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.
In addition, the prime minister has called for the Catholicos of the church to be removed and his replacement chosen by a government-organized committee, in defiance of Article 17 of Armenia’s constitution, which guarantees the separation of church and state.
The Republic of Armenia was established over a century ago as a refuge for Christians fleeing persecution and genocide. Its church survived intense persecution under Soviet totalitarianism, and after Armenia reclaimed its independence in 1991, the country became a beacon of democracy, free expression and freedom of religion in the region. This is a legacy that must be protected.
We call on the Armenian government to:
• Immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Samvel Karapetyan, whose detention lacks any legal foundation;
• Release Archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, and conduct an independent and transparent review of the charges against them;
• Cease all interference in the internal affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Church, including the ongoing campaign to delegitimize its clergy and replace its leadership through state-orchestrated mechanisms;
• Terminate all forms of retaliatory economic coercion, including politically motivated expropriation, administrative
harassment, and censorship of peaceful public advocacy;
• Restore the independence of the judiciary, ensuring that Armenia’s courts are no longer instrumentalized as tools of
political persecution or executive control.
We further call on the European Union, the United States, and all of Armenia’s democratic allies to refrain from supporting the suppression of religious freedom and civil liberties in Armenia.
Acts of conscience, faith, and lawful dissent must not become punishable acts in any nation that claims fidelity to democratic values.
SIGNATORIES
Organizations:
• Christian Solidarity International
• Coptic Solidarity
• SOS Chrétiens d’Orient
Individuals:
• Lauren B. Homer
• Rev. Kay Alice Daly
• Patrice J. Pederson
• Scott Morgan, President, Red Eagle Enterprises
