PanARMENIAN.Net - The Union of Armenians of Scandinavia has condemned the political persecution of the Armenian Apostolic Church, accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of orchestrating actions aimed at dismantling national identity and values.

In a statement reported by Aysor.am , the organization asserted that Pashinyan's motives are clear: "to seize the Church and subject Armenian national identity and values to ridicule and humiliation."

"By trampling on laws and moral norms, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan continues persecuting the Armenian Apostolic Church and his political opponents," the statement reads. "What began as a smear campaign full of threats and vulgarity has escalated into baseless accusations and illegal arrests. Armenia's law enforcement and judiciary have become tools of political repression in the hands of the Prime Minister, turning the country into a dictatorship."

The group cited several recent cases, including the arrest of businessman Samvel Karapetyan following his public support for the Church, and the detention of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of the "Sacred Struggle" movement, along with twelve of his supporters, on charges of plotting a coup. Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was also arrested on June 28 for allegedly inciting the seizure of power, in what the group called a "shameful assault" on the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Catholicosate.

The statement listed five key objectives behind these government actions:

a. Silencing dissenters

b. Instilling widespread fear among the population

c. Seizing control of the Armenian Apostolic Church

d. Further dividing the Armenian people

e. Humiliating Armenian national identity and values

The Union firmly condemned the actions of Pashinyan, the police, the National Security Service, and the judiciary, calling on all national forces and Armenian allies abroad to unite around the Armenian Apostolic Church and prevent Pashinyan's regime from succeeding in this "cold war" against the Church and the nation.

Source: PanArmenian.Net