Amsterdam: Government meddling in Church reflects Armenia’s authoritarianism

Robert Amsterdam. Photo: panorama.am

On September 3, 2025, lawyer and international human rights defender Robert Amsterdam described the Armenian government’s interference in Church affairs as a sign of growing authoritarianism in the country. He made the statement in a post on the social network X.

“The Armenian government’s interference in Church affairs is a key indicator of its increasing authoritarianism,” Amsterdam wrote. He also sharply reacted to the words of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who had earlier exclaimed: “The government is me!” According to the human rights lawyer, this declaration fully exposes the nature of the so-called democracy so often "hailed by the West."

Amsterdam accompanied his post with a video recording of Nikol Pashinyan’s speech. In the clip, the Prime Minister speaks in a harsh and emotional tone about his complete control over the state and voices accusations against the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The situation around the Armenian Apostolic Church has escalated since August 28, when Nikol Pashinyan once again called on Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II to voluntarily leave his residence in Etchmiadzin. According to the Prime Minister, Garegin II’s presence there constitutes “spiritual pollution,” while the Church itself, as he put it, is in need of “spiritual renovation.”

Pashinyan emphasized that the process would take place under his personal supervision and expressed confidence that “society will soon witness its first manifestations.” At the same time, the head of government assured that no force would be used against the Church.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Prime Minister of Armenia once again demanded the resignation of Catholicos Garegin II.

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