Armenia Arrests Bishop and 12 Clergy as Government Targets Church Leaders
Yerevan, Armenia - Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan of the Diocese of Aragatsotn and 12 clergymen from the Armenian Apostolic Church have been arrested as tensions escalate between church leaders and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government.
Proshyan was charged with coercing citizens to participate in public gatherings, obstructing electoral rights and misusing his office to commit large-scale theft, Armenia's Investigative Committee claimed this week. Authorities began investigating Proshyan in September, after a fellow clergyman accused church officials of pressuring members to attend anti-government demonstrations in 2021 and alleged corruption in Proshyan's diocese.
The Armenian Apostolic Church denounced the arrests, calling them part of a "systematic campaign" to interfere with its operations.
"There is obvious malicious intent to hinder the normal activities of the church," it said in a post on social media.
The charges against Proshyan follow a series of arrests of Apostolic Church figures and opposition leaders in recent months, including the high-profile sentencing of Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan in September. He was convicted of calling for the overthrow of the government and sentenced to two years in prison.
Ajapahyan's lawyer, Ara Zohrabyan, was quoted as saying that his client was prosecuted for expressing an opinion and called the verdict politically motivated. The church also condemned the ruling, calling it "one of the clear manifestations of the authorities' anti-church campaign.
" The charge stems from an interview he gave over a year ago, in which he was quoted as saying there is a "need for a coup."
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, another vocal critic of Pashinyan and leader of the Sacred Struggle opposition movement, was arrested earlier this year on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. His legal team dismissed the allegations as fabricated.
Pashinyan has repeatedly accused Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, of violating his celibacy vow and called for his resignation. Proshyan is Karekin II's nephew.
Leaders with the Armenian Apostolic Church, which dates back nearly two millennia, have largely opposed Pashinyan, a former journalist who rose to power in 2018 after a wave of pro-democracy protests. The prime minister has sought to reduce Russian influence and improve relations with Turkey.
On Sept. 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a swift military offensive to take full control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which it described as an "anti-terrorist operation." The assault followed a 10-month blockade that restricted access to food and medicine, and led to the forced displacement of the region's estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenian inhabitants.
Human rights groups have accused Azerbaijan of using the offensive to erase Armenian Christian cultural presence from the region. The European Centre for Law & Justice documented the targeted destruction of churches, religious artifacts, and monuments, calling the campaign a "cultural genocide."
Armenia, widely regarded as the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 A.D., lies at a strategic crossroads between Europe and Asia.
THE CRUSADERS OPINION
Armenia's government imprisons bishops for opposing surrender to the nation that ethnically cleansed 120,000 Christians.
This is betrayal.
Prime Minister Pashinyan arrests church leaders for organizing protests against handing Armenian villages to Azerbaijan.
The same Azerbaijan that starved Nagorno-Karabakh Christians for ten months.
The same Azerbaijan systematically destroying Armenian churches and Christian heritage.
Bishop Proshyan arrested. Archbishop Ajapahyan sentenced to two years for saying Armenia needs change. Archbishop Galstanyan jailed for "plotting overthrow."
These are political prisoners, not criminals.
Armenia became the FIRST Christian nation in 301 AD.
Now its government persecutes the Armenian Apostolic Church for defending Armenian Christians and Armenian territory from Islamic Azerbaijan's aggression.
Pashinyan gave Azerbaijan border villages as "peace gestures" while Azerbaijan demolishes 98% of Armenian churches in occupied territories.
He normalizes relations with the regime committing cultural genocide against Armenian Christianity. Church leaders rightfully call this betrayal.
The charges are fabricated. "Coercing citizens to attend protests." "Obstructing electoral rights." These are speech crimes.
Ajapahyan gave an interview expressing political opinion over a year ago. Prosecutors reviewed it then and found nothing criminal. Now he sits in prison.
Pashinyan personally attacks Catholicos Karekin II, demanding resignation while arresting his nephew. This is coordinated persecution targeting church hierarchy opposing appeasement.
Sacred Struggle movement organized mass demonstrations defending Armenian territory. Pashinyan's response? Arrest the clergy leaders. Silence opposition. Criminalize dissent.
Azerbaijan ethnically cleansed 120,000 Armenian Christians after ten-month starvation blockade. They're erasing Armenian churches and Christian monuments. They falsify history claiming Armenian heritage never existed. Pashinyan rewards this with territorial concessions and arrests Armenians opposing surrender.
The West stays silent. America hosts "peace summits" legitimizing Azerbaijan's conquest while Armenian bishops rot in jail for defending Christian Armenia.
Pashinyan seeks Western approval by reducing Russian influence. Noble goal. But surrendering Christian land to Islamic conquest and imprisoning church leaders isn't Western values—it's cowardice.
Every arrested Armenian clergyman is a martyr to territorial integrity and Christian heritage.
Every handed-over village represents Armenian Christians abandoned to Azerbaijani control.
Every destroyed church in Nagorno-Karabakh screams evidence of Pashinyan's catastrophic appeasement.
The Armenian Apostolic Church must resist. Armenian Christians worldwide must pressure Pashinyan's government. International Christians must demand release of imprisoned clergy and accountability for surrendering Christian communities to ethnic cleansing.
Take Action: Support Armenian Church and Imprisoned Clergy
Demand:
- Immediate release of Bishop Proshyan, Archbishop Ajapahyan, Archbishop Galstanyan and all imprisoned Armenian clergy
- International investigation into political persecution of Armenian Apostolic Church leaders
- Protection for Armenian Christians in territories surrendered to Azerbaijan
- Accountability for Azerbaijan's cultural genocide against Armenian Christian heritage
- Western pressure on Armenia to stop criminalizing church opposition to territorial surrender
Pray for imprisoned Armenian clergy and for Armenian Christians facing ethnic cleansing and cultural erasure.Take Action: Support Armenian Church and Imprisoned Clergy
Armenian Apostolic Church - Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin: https://www.armenianchurch.org Contact: info@etchmiadzin.am
European Centre for Law & Justice: https://eclj.org Report on Armenian cultural genocide and ongoing destruction
Bishop Accountability - Armenia: Track cases of imprisoned clergy and political persecution
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF): https://www.uscirf.gov Contact: media@uscirf.gov Demand investigation into religious persecution in Armenia
Contact Your Representatives:
- U.S. Congress: Find your representative at https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
- U.S. Senate: Find your senators at https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
- U.K. Parliament: Contact your MP at https://members.parliament.uk/members/Commons
Armenian Embassy Contacts:
- U.S.: Embassy of Armenia, 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 | Phone: (202) 319-1976 | Email: armembassyusa@mfa.am
- U.K.: Embassy of Armenia, 25A Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG | Phone: +44 20 7938 5435 | Email: armembassyuk@mfa.am
International Christian Concern: https://www.persecution.org Report: Armenian Christians facing persecution Contact: icc@persecution.org
Demand:
- Immediate release of Bishop Proshyan, Archbishop Ajapahyan, Archbishop Galstanyan and all imprisoned Armenian clergy
- International investigation into political persecution of Armenian Apostolic Church leaders
- Protection for Armenian Christians in territories surrendered to Azerbaijan
- Accountability for Azerbaijan's cultural genocide against Armenian Christian heritage
- Western pressure on Armenia to stop criminalizing church opposition to territorial surrender
Email Templates Available: Contact your government officials and Armenian embassy demanding clergy release and religious freedom protection.
Pray for imprisoned Armenian clergy and for Armenian Christians facing ethnic cleansing and cultural erasure.
