Announcement by the Heads of Media Outlets and Journalistic Organizations Addressed to the Representatives of Foreign Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations Accredited in the Republic of Armenia
ANNOUNCEMENT
The authorities of the Republic of Armenia, led and with the participation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, have for an extended period engaged in a campaign of targeting the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church (AAC) through hate speech and slanderous materials.
Pursuant to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian Apostolic Church is separate from the state. Any official who directly and openly interferes in the affairs of the Church exceeds the scope of their lawful authority and thereby commits a gross violation of the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of Armenia.
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In accordance with Article 2, Part 2 of the Law “On the Relationship between the Republic of Armenia and the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church”, the Republic of Armenia recognizes the autonomous and self-governing status of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church within the bounds of its ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
According to Article 17, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph (b) of the Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations”, the Church of the Republic of Armenia is separate from the state. In accordance with this principle, the state shall not interfere in the lawful activities or internal life of the Church and prohibits any state body or person acting on behalf of such a body from engaging in activities within the structure of churches or religious organizations. Accordingly, the state has no authority to interfere in the internal affairs of the Church, including raising the issue of replacing the Catholicos.
The campaign directed against the Church and senior clergy by the government and its supporting propaganda is accompanied by a flagrant violation not only of legal norms but also of public morality and national traditions, further deepening the divisions within an already polarized society.
Since 2018, the authorities—who have marked society by dividing it into “blacks and whites”—have continuously attempted to apply that same divisive approach to the faithful, seeking to fragment the religious community. No distinction is made in the means employed. Nikol Pashinyan presents all of his unlawful, anti-church actions under the false propagandistic pretense of acting “as a devout follower of the Church,” serving as a smokescreen to conceal his overreach of constitutional powers.
The rhetoric of hatred and hostility directed against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church poses a serious threat to social harmony.
The campaign, which in recent months and during the past week has continued with the unlawful detention of several high-ranking clerics, may, in the coming days, take on a highly dangerous form.
Stepan Asatryan—who has been defrocked by the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and has declared himself an unconditional supporter of Nikol Pashinyan (formerly Father Aram Asatryan)—has unilaterally announced that he will conduct a “liturgy” at Hovhannavank Church on October 26, publicly claiming that 10,000 people will attend the event, in which Nikol Pashinyan has declared his intention to participate.
Earlier, Pashinyan, using harsh and coarse language, announced his intention to “liberate the Mother See.” There are reasonable grounds to suspect that the self-proclaimed gathering organized by the defrocked S. Asatryan on October 26 may be exploited by the authorities to stage a mass action against the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and to generate a new wave of hatred and hostility.
The anti-church statements and actions of Nikol Pashinyan and the former cleric attempting to usurp the Church constitute provocations fraught with dangerous consequences. This provocation could lead to internal social clashes, particularly given that hundreds of thousands of followers of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church may rally in defense of the Church.
In practice, having no institutional counterbalance and exercising full control over law enforcement and security structures, the current authorities—pursuing political objectives and fostering an atmosphere of hatred within society—may resort to reckless actions with irreversible consequences.
These developments run entirely counter to the principles of a lawful, democratic state and violate constitutional guarantees of freedom of conscience and religion, including the rights of the faithful and clergy of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. In the absence of an adequate response, the situation could escalate into a national crisis and even catastrophic civil conflict.
We, the hundreds of thousands of faithful citizens and followers of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, declare that today—when the authorities are dividing our Church, persecuting and harassing the clergy who baptized us, whose sermons we have heard and continue to hear, when they imprison, humiliate, and trample not only them but also our collective dignity—these actions not only deeply offend us but also strike at the very heart of our freedom of religion, conscience, and expression.
Taking into account that, through their anti-church actions, the authorities are violating both the constitutional foundations of the Republic of Armenia and numerous conventions and legal norms protecting human rights and freedoms, we, the undersigned editors, journalists, and journalistic organizations, appeal to the representatives of foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Armenia to use all available means to prevent the planned event that poses a real threat of public confrontation, to urge the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to abandon their current divisive course, and to strictly adhere to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia—which recognizes the exceptional role of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church—as well as to international legal norms protecting freedom of speech, conscience, religion, and belief.
Signatories
Satik Seyranyan – President of the Union of Journalists of Armenia; Editor-in-Chief of 168 Zham newspaper and 168.am
Shavarsh Gevorgyan – H2 TV Company, Head of Lraber News Programme
Armenika Kiviryan – Editor-in-Chief of News.am
Aram Abrahamyan – Editor-in-Chief of Aravot Daily
Narek Galstyan – Director of 24News
Harutyun Harutyunyan – Director of 5th TV Channel Company
Boris Murazi – Editor of Politik.am
Sevak Hakobyan – Editor of Lebanon’s Zartonk Daily Newspaper
Sona Truzhyan – Editor of Pastinfo.am
Zhanna Tsarukyan – Editor-in-Chief of LiveNews.am
Paylak Fahradyan – Editor of Irakanum.am
Pirouza Meliksetyan – Editor-in-Chief of Irates.am
Ani Gevorgyan – Editor of Newday.am News Website
Vahagn Boyajyan – Director of MediaHub
Tatev Ayvazyan – Editor-in-Chief of Armday.am
Bagrat Yesayan – Director of Yerkir Media
Arkadi Grigoryan – Editor-in-Chief of Tert.am
Gevorg Emin-Teryan – Editor-in-Chief of Oragir.News
Anahit Voskanian – Editor of Panorama.am
Vahe Sargsyan – Editor-in-Chief of Yerkir.am
Karen Antinyan – Editor-in-Chief of BlogNews.am
Sevak Hakobyan – Editor-in-Chief of Yerevan.Today News and Analytical Website
