Protest in support of the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Armenian Apostolic Church
Today, on February 17, protests were held near the buildings of the RA Prosecutor General’s Office and the Government, aimed at protecting the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Armenian Apostolic Church. The actions were organized by the “All-Armenian Front” party and the movement of the same name.
The protesters held banners with inscriptions: “Faith is not judged,” “The investigator must serve the law.” The protest was accompanied by chants of “Hands off the Church.”
“We have come to the Prosecutor’s Office building because this institution does not follow the preservation of the constitutional order. Our attitude toward both the Prosecutor’s Office and other law enforcement agencies is negative; they carry out special orders under special instructions,” said Arsen Vardanyan, the chairman of the “All-Armenian Front” party.
The participants of the protest also marched to the RA Government building, where they presented their demands.
As a reminder, in recent months, the RA authorities have launched a campaign against the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, demanding the latter’s resignation.
On January 4, 2026, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and 10 bishops demanding the removal of the Catholicos announced the start of “reformations” of the Armenian Apostolic Church and published their “roadmap.”
Currently, criminal prosecution has been initiated against a number of clergymen, including the Catholicos of All Armenians, on charges of obstructing the execution of a judicial act related to Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, the former leader of the Diocese of Masyatsotn who has been defrocked.
