Civilnet
By Lia Avagyan
Christian Solidarity International (CSI) said on Saturday that Armenia’s Ministry of Justice has refused its request to visit four imprisoned senior clergymen of the Armenian Apostolic Church and more than two dozen detained supporters — a move the group called a disturbing sign of deepening repression.
Speaking at a press conference in Yerevan, CSI’s Director of Public Advocacy Joel Veldkamp said the denial came in writing on Friday afternoon, hours before Armenia hosted its first-ever National Prayer Breakfast.
“We received a letter from the Ministry of Justice, dated November 13 but sent to us only on November 14 at 4 p.m.,” he said. “We were not granted permission to visit the prisoners.”
CSI had sought access to Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan and Father Garegin Arsenyan, as well as businessman and church benefactor Samvel Karapetyan and 22 other detained church supporters.
“Our intention was to document their conditions, assess their physical and mental well-being, and understand the charges against them,” Veldkamp said.
He called the government’s refusal “deeply troubling,” especially as it unfolded during a government-supported religious gathering meant to symbolize Armenia’s openness.
“The fact that the Armenian authorities feel empowered to commit such a blatant act of repression even as a large delegation of international Christian guests gather in Yerevan should disturb all of us,” he said.
Veldkamp said CSI will reapply for permission and continue meeting families, lawyers and rights groups. “We have been profoundly disturbed by what we have learned,” he added.
“From verbal attacks to falsified cases”
Veldkamp detailed what he described as a systematic campaign against the Church, “from verbal attacks by senior officials, to arrests of supporters and clergy, to the arrest of clergy’s lawyers and even their family members.”
He said the evidence against Archbishop Galstanyan and twelve supporters “appears to have been largely falsified,” while Archbishop Ajapahyan was sentenced to two years in prison for a speech act previously deemed insufficient for prosecution. “This is a clear sign of political interference,” he said.
He also highlighted the arrest of businessman Samvel Karapetyan after he publicly defended the Church in June from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s criticism. “His arrest came just hours after the prime minister threatened him publicly on Facebook,” Veldkamp said. “It is transparent that Mr. Karapetyan is in jail because he exercised his free speech rights to defend the Armenian Apostolic Church.”
Veldkamp said these developments unfold as Pashinyan openly pushes to replace the Catholicos of All Armenians — calling the proposal “a flagrant violation of religious freedom.”
“Accusations of Russian influence are innuendo, slander”
A significant portion of Veldkamp’s message focused on what he called an emerging narrative among government allies and some Western groups: claims that elements of the Armenian Apostolic Church act as agents of Russia.
Veldkamp dismissed those claims outright. “No one has presented any evidence of this to us,” he said. “These accusations should be regarded as innuendo, slander, and a false justification for an attack on religious freedom.”
He warned visiting Christian leaders that such narratives serve as “a convenient excuse” not to speak up. “Americans should know just as well as Armenians that false accusations of collusion with Russia are a highly effective way for governments and deep states to suppress dissent,” he said. “Don’t be distracted by innuendo. Focus on the facts.”
He urged Western Christian organizations not to allow these accusations — including a widely circulated “white paper” on church-state relations — to overshadow documented rights abuses.
Prayer Breakfast backdrop
Armenia’s first National Prayer Breakfast, held Friday and Saturday with government backing, gathered around 300 guests from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Yezidi, Assyrian and other communities. Pashinyan used the event to highlight Armenia’s tradition of “religious tolerance,” saying such gatherings transform “politics and statements into human connections.”
Veldkamp said the contrast between the event and the arrests was impossible to ignore. “It seems the government wants to present itself internationally as a champion of faith while cutting off the Armenian Church at home,” he said.
He called on Western governments and Christian organizations to “break their silence,” adding: “These facts require a response of Christian solidarity.”
CSI has demanded the immediate release of all four imprisoned clergymen, Samvel Karapetyan, and other detainees it considers political prisoners.
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