Pashinyan’s ‘Crusade’: Armenia’s Church and Opposition Under Siege

Armenian authorities are intensifying a wide-ranging campaign against the opposition, which they have now defined to include influential figures from the church, parliament, and major businesses. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has personally vowed to lead a “liberation” of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) from what he calls enemies of the faith and the state, while the Investigative Committee has conducted dozens of raids linked to beleaguered billionaire Samvel Karapetyan and opposition MPs are being stripped of their immunity.

Pashinyan has directly accused the church’s leadership, including Catholicos Garegin II, of having no connection to Jesus Christ. “The house of Jesus Christ… has been seized by an anti-Christ, dogmatic, anti-national, anti-state group and must be liberated. I will lead this liberation,” the Prime Minister declared. His statement follows the arrest of two prominent archbishops, Bagrat Galstanyan and Mikael Adzhapahyan, on charges of plotting a coup. Pashinyan suggested the Catholicos became an accomplice by defending them.

The conflict between the government and the church is not new, having simmered since the 2018 Velvet Revolution. It escalated dramatically after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, when the AAC called for Pashinyan’s resignation. In 2024, Archbishops Bagrat and Mikael spearheaded the “Sacred Struggle” movement, which openly called for the overthrow of Pashinyan, whom they labeled the Antichrist. The government’s response has now shifted from threats of removing tax breaks to criminal prosecution.

Running parallel to the clerical crackdown is a campaign to nationalize “Electric Networks of Armenia” (ESA), owned by billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. He too was arrested for allegedly calling for a coup after publicly promising to defend the AAC from the prime minister’s attacks. While in custody, Karapetyan has openly urged Armenians to fight against Pashinyan’s government. Authorities have raided ESA offices and the home of Karapetyan’s nephew, Narek, the company’s head, who stated he fully expects to be arrested.

Authorities allege that Karapetyan’s company is under investigation for large-scale money laundering and tax evasion. The government has also accused ESA’s owners of using threats and bribery to coerce employees into participating in anti-government protests. “They needed to find something, and they found it,” Narek Karapetyan commented to local media, suggesting the charges are politically motivated.

The government’s sweep has also reached the parliament. On July 7 and 8, three MPs from the opposition “Armenia” faction—Seyran Ohanyan, Artsvik Minasyan, and Artur Sargsyan—were stripped of their parliamentary immunity. Ohanyan, a former defense minister, and Minasyan, a former environment minister, face corruption charges from their time in a previous government. Sargsyan, however, is being investigated for his alleged connection to the same coup plot for which the archbishops were arrested.

According to Hayk Khalatyan, head of the Analytical Center for Strategic Studies and Initiatives, the opposition has limited means to effectively counter the government’s pressure. “We are seeing unprecedented pressure from Pashinyan, including on the judicial system. There are judges who are ready to carry out any instruction from the authorities,” Khalatyan stated, calling Karapetyan’s arrest “a complete legal travesty.” He added that the US and EU are turning a blind eye to the repressions because Pashinyan frames them as a struggle against pro-Russian forces.

Despite widespread discontent with the government, the opposition has struggled to mobilize significant public support for street protests. However, a political paradox is emerging, as Pashinyan’s “Civil Contract” party has suffered defeats in recent municipal elections. This was vividly demonstrated in Gyumri and Parakar, and even in the capital Yerevan, where the party secured the mayor’s office only through post-election maneuvering, failing to win a majority in the city council.