Christians ‘face persecution’ in the first Christian country | Politics | News
Religious freedom is under serious attack in the world’s oldest Christian country, according to a major new report on the looming civil conflict in Armenia. He accuses Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of launching a brutal attack on the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.
Its leader is Catholicos II. He tried to overthrow Karekin and imprisoned prominent clergy and parishioners, along with archbishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, who was sentenced to two years in prison for criticizing the government. Lord Jackson of Peterborough, deputy chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Freedom, said: “The idea of committed Christians in the world’s oldest Christian country and in civilized and modern Europe being imprisoned for defending their faith is frightening.
“Christian denominations in Armenia should be able to retain the right to peacefully assemble and worship without facing the threat of violent intimidation, imprisonment, or worse.
“The world is watching human rights violations committed against these embattled Christian communities.”
Armenia is traditionally considered the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion, with many historians dating this decision to 301 or 314 AD.
A detailed report by international law firm Amsterdam & Partners accuses Pashinyan of behaving like a dictator in his bid to cling to power in next year’s elections.
It is noted that while Pashinyan’s popularity has fallen rapidly in recent years, the Church continues to receive massive public support and 97.5 percent of Armenia’s three million population has requested membership.
“Openly targeting senior members and supporters of a national church with vexatious, unfounded and politically motivated prosecutions in order to silence criticism and maintain control is an act of an unpopular and politically inept regime clinging to power by any means necessary,” the report states.
The roots of the conflict between Church and State in Armenia date back to Armenia’s 2023 defeat in the war with Azerbaijan over the Armenian Christian region of Nagorno-Karabakh. This led to ethnic cleansing in the region and more than 100,000 Armenians were forced to flee to safety.
