Tatoyan: Armenian authorities aid Azerbaijani anti-church agenda

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Human Rights Defender of Armenia, Arman Tatoyan, addressed what he calls the unlawful and politically motivated campaign by Armenian authorities against the Armenian Apostolic Church.

He wrote on Facebook that the campaign not only violates the Prime Minister's official mandate but also potentially involves criminal conduct under Armenia’s penal code.

Tatoyan highlighted five key points:

1. Azerbaijan’s religious leader has addressed the World Council of Churches, using rhetoric similar to that of Armenia's Prime Minister to discredit the Armenian Church and its clergy.
2. Azerbaijani propaganda explicitly states that Armenia’s internal campaign against its Church serves Azerbaijan’s interests, particularly the plan to resettle so-called “Western Azerbaijanis” in Armenia. This initiative, presented under a humanitarian guise, has even reached the UN agenda.
3. The anti-Church campaign involves abuse of official authority and may constitute public criminal acts conducted by government officials, coordinated and deliberate in nature.
4. It actively sows division among Armenians, both in Armenia and across the Diaspora.
5. It undermines Armenian statehood and damages the country’s international reputation by portraying the Church—historically a voice for peace and unity—as a promoter of violence. Tatoyan stressed that this is not just an anti-church, but an anti-Christian campaign.

During a recent press conference, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded to a question about the Catholicosate, saying, “It will be liberated the way we freed Armenia from Serzh Sargsyan in 2018.” Later, he called for preparation for a “Great Spiritual Gathering” in Etchmiadzin’s central square.