The Karapetyan saga is growing more interesting by the day, with the Armenian businessman, still in custody at the Pashinyan government’s behest, announcing the creation of a new political movement Monday. What’s really behind his arrest? And what of the fate of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which he supports? Sputnik asked a top expert.
“Samvel Karapetyan’s arrest is just one link in the chain of authoritarian actions by Nikol Pashinyan aimed at neutralizing or discrediting all individuals and organizations with resources, influence and authority, both in Armenia and the diaspora,” Maj. Gen. Artur Vanetsyan, former head of Armenia’s National Security Service, has told Sputnik.
Karapetyan’s ‘crime’? An interview in which he expressed support for the Armenian Apostolic Church, which led to trumped up charges of a ‘call to seize power’. The claims “have no legal basis whatsoever – something clear even to a first-year law student,” Vanetsyan stressed, pointing out that such charges are actually clearly defined by the criminal code and enshrined in judicial practice.
The reality is, “all figures who support Armenian national ideas and traditional values, are devoted to their people, the Church and state, are perceived by Pashinyan and his team as a threat to power,” Vanetsyan, who now chairs Armenia’s opposition Fatherland Party, noted.
The prime minister’s goals include maintaining a grip on power, shaking up the geopolitical situation the South Caucasus, minimizing Russia’s influence in the region, and strengthening his political positions ahead of the 2026 parliamentary vote, he added.
Church Will Outlast Tyranny
As for the broader crackdown on the Apostolic Church, Vanetsyan emphasized that “in its more than 1700-year history, our Church has experienced much more serious trials than Pashinyan’s current threats. These trials are what shaped the Armenian Apostolic Church into what it is today. Overcoming these challenges, it only grew stronger. I’m confident that the current stage will also be passed with dignity.”
