On October 16, under the presidency of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, a council of bishops serving within the structures of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and diocesan leaders across Armenia convened. The bishops issued a statement in response to what they described as the “reprehensible actions” by law enforcement in the Aragatsotn Diocese.
The statement squarely blames the current authorities and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan personally for the situation, describing it as a “sorrowful state of affairs.”
“We were dismayed to learn that on October 15, law enforcement officials conducted illegal actions against the diocesan primate, clergy, and lay employees in Aragatsotn, involving baseless and unjustified searches, deceptive arrests, concealment of detainees’ locations, and denial of access to legal counsel,” the statement reads.
It further asserts that Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan and Father Garegin Arsenyan were detained under these same “unlawful” procedures and that the chief diocesan accountant is also facing a motion for detention.
The bishops accuse the ruling political force of continuing a deliberate plan to dismantle the Armenian Church, using state mechanisms to target clergy and suppress religious supporters through abuse of power.
They also say the crackdown violates not only clergy rights but also the religious sentiments of Armenia’s faithful, citing closed churches, canceled rituals, and funerals conducted without priests.
“This sorrowful situation lies entirely with today’s authorities and the prime minister himself, who has long spread hate speech and intolerance toward the Church and its clergy, openly attacking centuries-old church traditions,” the bishops said.
They note that the timing of the criminal cases, immediately after Pashinyan’s anti-Church remarks, reveals their political nature.
The clergy urged Armenia’s judiciary and law enforcement to act within the bounds of legality and not yield to the arbitrary will or group interests of power-abusing officials.
They emphasized that state institutions must serve national security and public harmony, not act as tools of political revenge that deepen internal divisions.
“We call on our clergy and faithful not to yield, to stand firm in faith and prayer, and to do all they can against injustice and illegality in our country,” the statement concludes.
*On October 15, Armenia’s Investigative Committee, accompanied by the National Security Service, conducted searches in the Aragatsotn Diocese and homes of several clergy. Dozens of priests and staff, including Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, were taken to the Investigative Committee. The court later ruled to detain Proshyan for two months and Father Garegin Arsenyan for one month. Others were classified as witnesses.
The Investigative Committee reported that criminal proceedings against the diocesan head were launched under two articles of the Criminal Code — abuse of official position to obstruct electoral rights, and coercion to participate in gatherings through use of authority.*
