The ancient Armenian Apostolic Church is fighting for its life against a homegrown danger as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan launched a brutal campaign against the clergy, sparking accusations of religious persecution that have spilt onto the international stage. This internal warfare was brought to global attention recently via a full-page advertisement on page nine of the Financial Times. The striking headline asked, 'In God's name, what is going on in Armenia?' challenging the government's treatment of a church followed by more than 90 per cent of the population.
While Armenia's constitution grants the church a formal role in preserving national identity, critics argue the current administration appears intent on dismantling that influence rather than working alongside it. The result is an escalating confrontation between a centuries‑old institution and a government increasingly accused of authoritarian tactics.
Prime Minister Pashinyan Targets Clergy To Divert From National Crisis
The church has survived Romans, Persians, Arabs, Mongols, and Soviets, but it now finds itself on a collision course with its own leaders. Pashinyan, a former yellow journalist, made his objectives clear after rising to power in 2018, in an ascent many observers link to Russian influence. Reports claim he intends to unseat the church's spiritual leader, Catholicos Karekin II, and weaken the institution's grip on public life.
Authorities have started to dismantle the church's hierarchy, a campaign that has already put senior figures behind bars. The crackdown has included the arrest of three archbishops, a bishop, and several other clergy members, moves that opponents describe as a state‑driven assault on religious institutions designed to divert attention from deepening economic and security failures. With each new arrest, accusations grow that the government is using the church as a scapegoat for a wider national crisis.
Record-Low Approval Ratings After Loss of Strategic Buffer
Dissatisfaction with the administration has seeped into almost every layer of Armenian society. Nearly three‑quarters of citizens are now struggling with poverty, a bleak statistic that lines up with Pashinyan's collapse in the polls. By last summer, his approval rating had fallen into single digits, placing him among the least popular heads of government in the world.
Behind that anger is a sense that the government has failed to protect Armenia's sovereignty. The country faces simultaneous pressure from Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, and the trauma from losing Nagorno‑Karabakh, or Artsakh, still runs deep. When that territory was lost in 2020 and around 120,000 ethnic Armenians were forced out in 2023, Armenia effectively lost its most important defensive buffer.
Pashinyan has tried to distance himself from the disaster, but the church has not forgiven him and has been vocal about his role in the crisis. Disputes over refugees and lost land have become the main wedge driving the state and clergy apart.
Questions of Fairness Ahead of 2026 Elections
Despite dismal approval, Pashinyan is preparing to run for another five‑year term. Critics and election monitors are on alert, openly doubting that the coming vote will be genuinely free and fair. Transparency International's Anti‑Corruption Centre has warned that misuse of state resources and attacks on critics are already casting a shadow over this year's parliamentary elections.
Human rights organisations are warning that the political climate is becoming increasingly repressive as the June 2026 elections get closer. The courts' independence is also under scrutiny, particularly in light of the recent controversy surrounding Samvel Karapetyan, a major church supporter.
A verdict extending his pre‑trial detention appeared on a website reportedly owned by Pashinyan's family a full day before the court officially issued the decision, raising serious questions about political interference in the legal process.
🇦🇲 Armenia’s government is taking control of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church, the world’s oldest Church, ending centuries of Church-state separation.
— Witness24 (@Witness24News) January 11, 2026
PM Nikol Pashinyan says the Church must now serve the state and cannot “oppose the state interest.”
Half of Armenia’s bishops… pic.twitter.com/x6QJGsG6Of
A Pivot Eastward Risks Western Support
Western observers are becoming increasingly worried about the geopolitical fallout of Pashinyan's current path. EU member states have kept backing the administration despite issues with corruption and the Artsakh situation, but critics say this support is accidentally pushing Armenia closer to Moscow. By crushing internal dissent, the administration is starting to look a lot like the authoritarian regimes it claims to oppose.
Pashinyan has also shown signs of turning away from Western partners. He signed a strategic partnership with China right after a trip to Beijing. The incident happened only days after a historic peace deal was preliminarily signed at the White House on August 8. With mixed signals like that, it's difficult to see the current leadership as the reliable partner the US and EU are looking for.
Observers believe the Trump administration needs to be careful with this diplomatic flip-flopping. If the persecution of the Armenian Apostolic Church continues unchecked, it could ruin diplomatic progress in the region and might even cause backlash during the US midterm elections in November 2026.
Condemning these actions now could be the key to helping the Armenian people demand real accountability and free elections.
