"Keep your hands away from the church". The European Party of Armenia joined the protests

YEREVAN - July 2, 2025 Protests continue in Armenia against the arrests of Archbishops Bagrat Galstanyan and Mikael Adjapahyan, as well as other clergymen. The European Party of Armenia actively participates in the protests, whose members have stated that what is happening is a political persecution and is directed against the Armenian Apostolic Church. The protests took place both in Yerevan and in the territory of the Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See, where hundreds of citizens, believers and opposition activists gathered. They demanded the immediate release of the arrested clerics and stop the pressure on the church. In their speeches, the HEC representatives stated that the actions of the authorities endanger the freedom of speech and the religious rights of the religious people. "The church is one of the important pillars of our national identity, thanks to which the Armenian people were able to establish themselves as the first Christian nation and bring their history and culture to the 21st century, so we consider any pressure on the church as an attempt to destroy our nation," Armen Amirzadyan, a member of the European Party of Armenia, emphasized in his speech. It should be noted that Amirzadyan and his wife stood out for their active initiatives supporting the movement: financial, organizational, as well as public awareness work. According to political scientists, the created situation indicates the increase of internal political tension in Armenia, where the relations between the church and political forces continue to escalate. The human rights organizations, in turn, called for an independent and transparent investigation to find out both the legality of the arrests and the cases of the use of force during the protests. The wave of protests continues, and the development of the situation continues to remain in the public and spotlight.