Rights groups condemn OSCE chief's remarks on removing head of Armenian Church

By Lia Avagyan

Four human rights organizations condemned OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu on Thursday over remarks in which he appeared to offer support for the Armenian government's campaign to remove Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians.

The Armenian Center for Political Rights (ACPR), the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, the Forum for Religious Freedom in Europe (FOREF), and Christian Solidarity International (CSI) issued a joint statement expressing "deep concern" over comments made by the most senior official of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Sinirlioğlu, a Turkish national, made the remarks in a phone call with Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus, who posed as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and asked the OSCE chief to help remove the Catholicos. The call was made public on July 8.

During the call, Sinirlioğlu accused the Catholicos of politicizing the church, then agreed to "look into" how the OSCE might support the effort to remove him. When Sinirlioğlu asked whether the impersonator could "change the Catholicos," the fake Pashinyan replied he was "looking to all possible ways." The impersonator also asked for backing in case of public criticism, and Sinirlioğlu responded, "OK, I'll do my best, I'll try."

The signatories, while stressing they do not condone the deception used by the pranksters, said Sinirlioğlu's own words "reveal a posture that cannot be reconciled with the responsibilities of his office." They cited Principle VII of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, which commits OSCE member states, including Armenia, to protecting freedom of religion or belief.

The signatories called on Sinirlioğlu to publicly retract any suggestion the OSCE would support the Catholicos's removal, reaffirm the organization's commitment to religious freedom in Armenia, and engage with the Catholicos to ensure the church's rights are respected.

The statement placed the phone call in the context of a campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church that Pashinyan has pursued since May 2025, including public calls for Karekin II's resignation, a published "roadmap" for his removal, and the detention of senior clergy on charges the statement's signatories describe as politically motivated. 

"Now that Nikol Pashinyan has won an unprecedented third term in power, it [is] more important than ever that international institutions hold his government to account," CSI's director for public advocacy, Joel Veldkamp, said in the press release.

About the signatories: ACPR and the Helsinki Committee of Armenia are Yerevan-based human rights groups, led by Rafael Ishkhanyan and Siranush Sahakyan, respectively. FOREF Europe, headed by former European Commissioner Ján Figeľ, monitors religious freedom across the continent. CSI, founded in Switzerland in 1977, is a Christian human rights group with consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council, led by John Eibner.