Former Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has issued a statement alleging that the head of Armenia's executive branch has not only continued violations against the Armenian Apostolic Church and its clergy but has also initiated “a public incitement of hatred and hostility.”

According to Tatoyan, this effort is systematic and involves members of the ruling Civil Contract parliamentary faction and the party itself.

He further asserts that “the real goal of the Civil Contract leader is to subjugate the Armenian Apostolic Church for political calculations, to ultimately meet Azerbaijan’s unilateral demands—essential for maintaining his power. To that end, the Church is being discredited, and its global standing undermined, threatening a pillar of Armenian identity with destruction.”

Tatoyan also noted that Azerbaijani expressions of joy and gratitude toward Armenia’s Prime Minister are no coincidence.

“To achieve his goal, the Civil Contract leader is exploiting real or perceived issues within the Church—matters that are solely internal to the Church. Under the Constitution, the Church is separate from the state.

This unlawful campaign against senior clergy, including the Catholicos of All Armenians, appears premeditated. Personal data of clergy have been illegally collected for political use.

Now, threats are emerging about illegally disclosing this data. All this is happening as the Prime Minister and other officials abuse their power and authority.

There are already credible reports of actual threats of violence against clergy from government supporters. The government is responsible. This is an axiomatic truth.

A leader genuinely concerned about Church issues would never choose such an unprecedentedly unlawful path for resolution.

It must be understood that the actions of the head of Armenia’s government are disastrous for the country. We must defend the centuries-old authority of the Armenian Apostolic Church and our sacred values, and not let divisive false agendas distract us from existential issues,” the statement reads.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, reacting to clerical criticism after likening churches to storage rooms during a government meeting, made derogatory remarks about clergy. He published several Facebook posts, joined by his wife Anna Hakobyan, who labeled the clergy “the country's top pedophiles.” Pashinyan also said the state must play a key role in selecting the Catholicos of All Armenians. In another post, he questioned Catholicos Garegin II’s adherence to celibacy, suggesting that if the Catholicos has a child, he should not hold the position.