Leader of World’s Oldest Christian Institution Goes on Trial in Armenia
Yerevan — Amsterdam & Partners LLP today notes the silence surrounding the prosecution of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, warning that the proceedings should be recognised as a dangerous escalation in the government’s campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church and all those who stand in opposition to authoritarian practices by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The trial of the Catholicos and six senior clerics opened last week in proceedings arising from the Church leadership’s refusal to comply with a state court order concerning the reinstatement of a defrocked bishop – an order viewed as a way for the government to effectively seize control of the Church. Opening proceedings were halted after the presiding judge recused himself.
The significance of placing the Catholicos of All Armenians on trial cannot be overstated. The Armenian Apostolic Church has survived empires, persecution, genocide and repression, and for centuries has served as the principal guardians of Armenian identity, culture and continuity – even when the Armenian state ceased to exist. In 301 AD, Armenia became the world’s first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion.
Yet the response from much of the international community has been muted, with the notable exceptions of statements by the World Council of Churches, which expressed deep concern over the situation, as well as by Christian Solidarity International and several others. Particularly troubling has been the silence of some prominent voices within the Armenian diaspora, for whom the Church serves as the primary institution preserving their identity outside the homeland.
The prosecution cannot be viewed in isolation. It follows criminal proceedings against senior clergy, the imprisonment and prosecution of prominent Church figures, political demands for the removal of the Catholicos and attempts to intervene in the internal governance of the Church. Nor can this campaign be separated from the wider treatment of those who oppose the incumbent administration: opposition politicians, clergy, business leaders and other government critics have faced arrests, criminal proceedings and other coercive measures. The cumulative effect is the progressive dismantling of institutional and political opposition to the government.
Robert Amsterdam, Founder and Managing Partner of Amsterdam & Partners, which serves as counsel to opposition leader Samvel Karapetyan, the most significant benefactor to the Church, states:
“The silence is becoming complicity. Armenians in the diaspora should not remain silent. The defence of the Church’s independence from political control should transcend every division. The trial of the Catholicos is a warning about something much larger. When a government can use the machinery of the state against the Church, political opponents, business leaders and other critics without meaningful international scrutiny, the question is no longer who will be targeted, but who will be left able to challenge it. This pattern is consistent in states that have undergone democratic backsliding worldwide.”
Amsterdam & Partners calls upon international institutions, democratic governments, religious leaders and Armenian diaspora organisations to speak publicly in defence of the institutional independence of the Armenian Apostolic Church and to closely scrutinise the proceedings against the Catholicos and other clergy.
Amsterdam & Partners LLP is an international law firm specialising in political advocacy and human rights, based in London and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.amsterdamandpartners.com. Media enquiries may be directed to contact@amsterdamandpartners.
