‘Church Under Threat’: Armenian Archbishop’s Message From Prison to IRF Summit

Armenian Archbishop Warns From Prison That Church Is Under Threat, Appeals to U.S. Leaders at IRF Summit

Bagrat Galstanyan, an Armenian archbishop currently imprisoned, sent a letter to the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington warning that the Armenian Apostolic Church is facing an existential threat and urging U.S. Vice President JD Vance to intervene. The letter was transmitted by the Switzerland-based advocacy group Christian Solidarity International (CSI) just days after Armenian authorities intensified legal actions again…

‘Church under threat’: Armenian archbishop’s message from prison to IRF Summit

Armenian Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan sent a letter from prison to the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, warning that the Armenian Apostolic Church, recognized as one of the world's oldest Christian bodies, is under threat and calling on U.S. Vice President JD Vance to intervene. #ArmenianArchbishops #BagratGalstanyan #InternationalReligiousFreedomSummitinWashington #ArmenianApostolicChurch #VicePresidentJDVance #Azerbaijan #…

Faith under siege: Arrests and military purge mark new low in Church-state crisis

YEREVAN — The Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the world’s oldest Christian institutions, continues to face an unprecedented campaign of state pressure under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government. Church leaders, legal experts and international observers warn that the crackdown threatens the Church’s autonomy and raises concerns over religious freedom, constitutional law and human rights. The tensions have drawn international attention. L…

International Attention Turns to Persecution of Armenian Church: Christian Solidarity International Fact-Finding Mission Reports

YEREVAN (Zartonk) — The world-renowned religious freedom organization Christian Solidarity International (CSI) sent a fact-finding mission to Armenia the first week of February to investigate persecution of the Armenian Apostolic Church in parallel with the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. The visit concluded with a joint press conference at the Ibis Hotel Center in Yerevan with the Armenia Center for Political Rights (…

Artsakh Center Stage at International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington

Religious Freedom Advocates Spotlight Artsakh’s Right of Return, Armenia’s Security, and the Release of Armenian Hostages ahead of VP Vance’s Visit to the South Caucasus WASHINGTON– The Armenian National Committee of America welcomed the powerful global spotlight on at this week’s International Religious Freedom Summit – the world’s premier global gathering of faith leaders, who echoed calls by a broad array of stakeholders to hold Azerbaijan ac…

Armenian government accused of violating religious freedom after clergy arrests

The Armenian government under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faces mounting accusations of trampling religious freedom and free speech following the arrests of numerous clergy members.