YEREVAN—Armenian authorities have escalated their crackdown on government critics, with security forces conducting a raid Tuesday evening at the Yerevan residence of prominent businessman Samvel Karapetyan, hours after he issued public remarks defending the Armenian Apostolic Church and criticizing the government’s stance toward it.
Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian billionaire and owner of the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) and Tashir Group LLC, was not detained during the raid but has since been summoned to court. As of Wednesday, legal proceedings are underway to determine whether he will be arrested. Prosecutors have petitioned the court to apply pre-trial detention as a preventive measure.
The Investigative Committee of Armenia has opened a criminal case under Article 422, Part 2 of the Criminal Code, alleging that Karapetyan made public calls through mass media to usurp state power and illegally assume governmental authority—an accusation stemming from his June 17 interview with News.am, where he stated:
“A small group, having forgotten Armenian history and the millennia-old legacy of the Armenian Church, has attacked both the Church and the Armenian people. I have always stood with the Armenian Church and the Armenian people. If political leaders fail, we will intervene in our own way.”
The criminal case appears to be part of a broader government campaign against Karapetyan, following his break with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over an escalating rift with the Armenian Apostolic Church. Long regarded as a behind-the-scenes supporter of Pashinyan’s administration, Karapetyan’s sudden opposition has sparked a rapid and multifaceted retaliation.
The crackdown on Karapetyan followed a series of inflammatory statements by PM Pashinyan, who has accused the businessman and senior clergy members of undermining the state. Using rhetoric widely denounced as vulgar and unbecoming of a head of government, Pashinyan has referred to Church leaders and their benefactors with derogatory terms.
An hour after Karapetyan’s interview, Pashinyan wrote on Facebook: “Why have the lewd ‘clergy’ and their lewd ‘benefactors’ become active? No problem; we will deactivate them again—and forever.”
In addition to the legal proceedings, ENA has come under heightened scrutiny. The company was recently issued a 10 million dram administrative fine for “technical and trade violations,” due to a brief power outage at a government event. Pro-government media cited the incident as evidence of ENA’s “irregularities,” further escalating tensions between the business magnate and the state.
In a Facebook post on June 18, Prime Minister Pashinyan publicly called for ENA’s nationalization: “I believe the time has come for ENA to be nationalized,” he wrote. “This will happen swiftly. I urge all ENA employees to continue fulfilling their responsibilities with integrity.”
Speaking at a press conference later in the day, Pashinyan denied that this post was in retaliation for Karapetyan’s recent comments criticizing the government.
“A month ago, I issued a directive to identify how the public could be compensated for the damages caused by ENA,” the prime minister said. “During my recent visits to the regions, I witnessed firsthand the serious disruptions caused by ENA’s mismanagement. It became clear to me that the company had contributed to a nationwide energy crisis.”
Simultaneously, the State Food Safety Inspectorate has launched inspections across 30 branches of the Tashir Pizza restaurant chain, also owned by Karapetyan’s Tashir Group. The inspections, officially attributed to routine regulatory procedures, have been interpreted by some as part of a coordinated pressure campaign.
In a separate development, the government has announced the dismissal of Armen Abazyan, Director of the National Security Service (NSS), without providing a clear explanation. Multiple media reports suggest that Abazyan’s departure is linked to the Karapetyan case, as he refused to lead or authorize NSS involvement in operations targeting the businessman.
Asked to respond to these claims, Pashinyan denied that any insubordination had taken place. “The NSS director could not have disobeyed a directive,” he said, offering no further details.
Inside parliament, Pashinyan instructed his Civil Contract party members to dedicate their floor time to defending the government’s position and countering the Church. MPs delivered coordinated speeches, some with evident discomfort, criticizing clergy and attacking Karapetyan directly.
MP Tigran Parsilyan suggested that certain Church figures had plotted a coup during wartime. MP Vahagn Aleksanyan, meanwhile, accused Karapetyan of using his wealth to interfere in state matters and suggested he “focus on electricity outages” rather than religious affairs.
Karapetyan’s recent comments—and the state’s swift reaction—have provoked widespread concern among international figures, civil society leaders and religious institutions. The Armenian Apostolic Church has received strong support from diaspora leaders, senior clergy abroad and members of the Armenian Public Council, some of whom have condemned the government’s escalating rhetoric and actions.
On June 17, the Armenian Apostolic Church denounced the “apparent politically motivated persecution” and called on the Armenian authorities to “immediately cease these unlawful actions.”
Similarly, the Moscow office of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) expressed its disapproval, calling the government’s actions “unacceptable” and urging Armenian organizations worldwide to condemn the regime’s “anti-national policies.”
Russian officials have also expressed concern, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stating that Russia is closely monitoring developments surrounding Karapetyan.
Russian State Duma Deputy Konstantin Zatulin has expressed strong criticism of the Armenian government. Zatulin, a longtime advocate for Armenian-Russian relations, questioned the basis for the government’s decision to target Karapetyan.
“I cannot imagine what he could have done for the Armenian leadership to decide to infringe upon his freedom,” he said. He further described the move as an attempt to “blackmail” Russian authorities and the Armenian diaspora in Russia.
Zatulin also accused PM Pashinyan of abusing his power, noting that Pashinyan’s interference in the affairs of the Armenian Apostolic Church was indicative of this overreach.
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