Armenian lawyer raises concerns over anti-church campaign at IRF Summit

The Pashinyan government’s mass arrests and persecution of Armenian clerics and benefactors, including Samvel Karapetyan, took center stage during attorney Aram Vardevanyan’s keynote address at the 2026 International Religious Freedom Summit (IRF Summit) in Washington on Monday, His full remarks are provided below.

“Thank you to the IRF Summit for the opportunity to speak with you today.

I come from the Republic of Armenia—my homeland—a great country and a great nation filled with talented, resilient, and hardworking people.

For centuries, Armenia has had an anchor that defended our national interests and unified our people: the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. Throughout our history, our nation has endured genocide, war, oppression, and blockades, yet we have never lost our faith.

In the year 301, Armenia adopted Christianity as its state religion, becoming the first Christian nation in the world. Since then, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has safeguarded our religious, cultural, and national identity across centuries. Even during periods of lost sovereignty and profound hardship, the Church unified Armenians and served as a cornerstone of our statehood.

In recent years, our nation has faced severe challenges. These include the 44-day war in Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, followed by the forced displacement of 120,000 Armenians from their ancestral homes. As we speak, centuries-old churches and monasteries are being vandalized, denying Christian Armenians access to sacred sites and places that housed holy relics.

At this moment, 19 Christian Armenians remain political prisoners in Azerbaijan. It is noteworthy that President Trump raised this issue publicly and called for the release of prisoners detained in Baku.

Historically, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church has endured oppression and interference by foreign powers. What is unthinkable, however, is that such interference is now taking place within Armenia itself—by the country’s own governing authorities.

Today, senior figures in Armenia’s executive branch have demanded the resignation of the Catholicos, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. To put this into perspective, it is akin to the leader of a Catholic country demanding the resignation of the Roman Pope.

As we speak, four bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church are detained, while six others have been indicted and subjected to travel bans and restrictions on their freedom of movement. These actions represent gross violations of due process and fundamental human rights.

In June of last year, the Church’s largest donor, Mr. Samvel Karapetyan—whom I have the honor to represent as his attorney—was arrested and detained. His arrest followed a journalist’s question regarding the persecution of the Armenian Church, to which he responded that he stood by the Church and would defend it. For these words alone, and following public statements by senior government officials including the Prime Minister, his home was raided within hours. He was arrested and detained for over 200 days under the harshest conditions, in a penitentiary facility known as the “KGB basement.”

These examples demonstrate that the Armenian government has weaponized its authority against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. Pretrial detention has been transformed into a form of punishment—an unacceptable practice. Today, Armenia’s largest donor and its highest spiritual leaders are effectively political prisoners.

One year ago, Vice President J.D. Vance stated that it is not enough to speak about democratic values—we must live them. I believe this principle offers the clearest path forward. Protecting religious freedom requires action, not rhetoric.

In my 15 years of legal practice, I have never witnessed violations of this magnitude. These actions are neither acceptable nor tolerable.

Dear colleagues, I pray that together we can better protect and promote religious freedom. I pray for the freedom of all those who are unlawfully detained and persecuted—both in my beloved Armenia and throughout the world.

Thank you to the IRF Summit for providing this platform to speak freely, here in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

God bless you all!”