The Armenian National Congress has declared its unconditional support for the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of eroding constitutional order through actions targeting the Church’s leadership.

The Armenian National Congress expressed its unconditional support for the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and “strongly condemned the unlawful steps taken against it and the pressure applied to the Supreme Patriarch and other high-ranking clergy.”

“Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, by involving the judicial system and law enforcement bodies in his unlawful actions, is effectively undermining the foundations of Armenian statehood and the constitutional order. Instead of protecting citizens’ rights, state institutions have been engaged in the disgraceful task of serving Nikol Pashinyan’s personal interests,” the statement reads.

The ANC called on international organizations to assess what it described as “blatant violations of Armenia’s commitments in the field of human rights.”

“In the history of Armenia, an unprecedented overreach has occurred: at the instruction of Nikol Pashinyan, criminal proceedings have been initiated against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, with a preventive measure imposed in the form of a ban on leaving the country.

The pretext was the alleged failure to comply with the requirements of a supposedly lawful court decision. This is an open mockery of justice, legality, and reason. The court, blatantly trampling the Constitution and the law, accepted proceedings and applied an interim measure in relation to a claim whose subject falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The Constitution unequivocally prohibits the state from interfering in the self-governance of a religious organization. Driven by a zeal to perfect this absurdity, the Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings over the alleged failure to respect that unlawful decision. To avoid being unfounded, we cite the relevant articles of the 1991 Law ‘On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations’:

Article 17. In the Republic of Armenia, the Church is separated from the state. In accordance with this principle, the state:

a) has no right to compel a citizen to adhere to any religion;

b) does not interfere in the lawful activities and internal life of the Church and religious organizations and prohibits the activity of any state body or person acting on its behalf within the structure of churches and religious organizations;

c) prohibits the participation of the Church in state governance and does not assign any state functions to the Church or religious organizations.

The state does not obstruct the implementation of the following missions, which are the exclusive prerogative of the national Church:

— freely preach and disseminate its doctrine throughout the territory of the Republic of Armenia;

— restore its historical traditions, structure, organizations, dioceses, and communities;

— build new churches and activate historical monument-churches belonging to it, both at the request of believers and on its own initiative;

— contribute to the spiritual education of the Armenian people, including in state educational institutions as provided by law;

— practically support the moral improvement of the Armenian people;

— carry out charitable and benevolent activities.

At the same time, the Armenian Apostolic Church, as the national Church operating also outside the territory of the Republic, is subject to the protection of the Republic of Armenia within the limits of international legal norms.

Article 18. The state does not finance either the activities of religious organizations or the promotion of atheism, while granting members and clergy of religious organizations the right to participate in public and political life on an equal basis with other citizens,” the statement says.

On February 14, it became known that Armenia’s Prosecutor’s Office had initiated criminal prosecution against Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II on charges of failing to execute a judicial act in the case of the former head of the Masisotsn Diocese and had banned him from leaving Armenia.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the purpose of organizing a Bishops’ Assembly of the Armenian Church in Austria was to remove the Catholicosate and the treasures of Etchmiadzin from Armenia.

“The information is becoming increasingly serious that, in fact, the deeper initiative behind convening a Bishops’ Assembly outside Armenia is to take the Catholicosate of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and the treasures of Etchmiadzin out of Armenia and strengthen the circumstance of a puppet Catholicosate in the hands of certain forces, using it as a tool against Armenia. I will not allow that. Armenia will not stand by as an observer; the response will be very tough. We will redirect the gaze of those hiding under the mask of benefactors and eyeing the treasures of Etchmiadzin in a completely different direction. If additional measures are needed, additional measures will be taken,” he said.