EU turning a blind eye to arrests of Armenian church leaders, letter says

Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located in the city of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia. | Getty Images/Domingo LeivaThe European Union has been accused of turning a blind eye to the Armenian government’s actions against the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Opposition leader Samvel Karapetyan, a businessman and Russian national who has been held in detention and is now under house arrest, instructed his legal representatives, Amsterdam & Partners LLP, to initiate legal action against the EU for its support for Armenia.

In a legal letter, the EU is accused of standing by Pashinyan’s government and presenting it as a democratic success story, despite ongoing concerns about its treatment of opposition figures and the Armenian Apostolic Church, which dates back to the fourth century.

Tensions between church and state in the country have increased since Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018. Relations deteriorated even more sharply following Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

Several bishops have been arrested, while the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, has been barred from leaving the country. Critics have accused Pashinyan of acting like a Soviet-era dictator.

For his part, Pashinyan has said he is attempting to save the church from “anti-Christian” and “anti-state” elements. Senior church leaders have been accused of supporting the violent overthrow of a democratically elected government and of condoning calls for the assassination of government ministers.

In the letter, Karapetyan’s legal representatives questioned the validity of Armenia’s recent parliamentary election. Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia party received 23% of the vote, less than half the 49% achieved by Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party.

The election result has been challenged in the courts by Strong Armenia, although the party has said it has little faith in the independence of the courts.

Robert Amsterdam, managing partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, said, “The European Union has not acted as a neutral observer. It has chosen to align itself with a government that has overseen widespread arrests, targeted its critics, attacked the Church and weakened democratic safeguards.
“Brussels cannot claim to be a defender of democracy while ignoring these abuses and refusing to engage seriously with opposition voices. The EU’s actions have helped shield this government from accountability.”

In response to the claims, a spokesperson for the EU said, “When it comes to elections, the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission has concluded in its preliminary findings that the elections in Armenia ‘offered voters a genuine choice among political alternatives in a well-run process’.

“The observers also reported that the legal framework provided a ‘sound basis for democratic elections’ and addressed several prior ODIHR recommendations.

“At the same time, OSCE/ODIHR identified a number of concerns, which we encourage the relevant stakeholders in Armenia to address.

“OSCE/ODIHR also highlighted the direct pressure from abroad in the form of escalating trade restrictions, security threats and hybrid operations by Russia.

“As already emphasized in the EU statement issued by the High Representative on 8 June on the outcome of parliamentary elections in Armenia, the EU calls on all political actors to respect the outcome of the vote, as well as make use of legal mechanisms to address any electoral complaints.”