Armenian opposition accuses government of interfering in church autonomy

An opposition member on Thursday accused the Armenian government of an unlawful intrusion into religious independence and a violation of citizens’ freedoms.

Ruben Mkhitaryan, a member of the Strong Armenia party, delivered the remarks at parliamentary hearings convened by the opposition Pativ Unem faction to discuss a draft declaration on church-state relations.

“What is happening today in Armenia no longer fits within the framework of political debate. This is coordinated pressure against the Armenian Apostolic Church,” Mkhitaryan told lawmakers. He described the government’s actions as “political retribution” against a religious institution that refuses to yield.

Mkhitaryan argued that the campaign amounts to “state interference in the autonomy of a religious organization” and “an infringement on people’s religious freedoms.” He added that the attack was not simply aimed at church leadership but at the identity of the Armenian people itself.

“The assault on the Armenian Apostolic Church is not against the institution or the Catholicos, but against the very identity of the Armenian nation,” he said.