EU faces legal action for ‘dismantling democracy’ as election crisis threatens world's oldest Church
The EU is facing legal action for allegedly “dismantling democracy,” as concerns in one of its member states grow over attacks on the Church and an electoral crisis.
The EU has supported the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, despite his government’s attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church, with lawyers now threatening legal action.
In a letter to the EU president, Ursula von der Leyen, lawyers working for opposition leader Samvel Karapetyan have alleged that the EU has provided unconditional support to Mr Pashinyan, despite a continued campaign against political opponents, religious institutions, and independent voices.
The letter details hundreds of politically motivated arrests that have been carried out under the current government, and that the EU’s continued support despite being aware of those has raised concerns over the treatment of opposition figures, clergy, and civil society critics.
Lawyers claim that Brussels has failed to uphold its own legal and democratic standards by endorsing an election that is still subject to constitutional challenges, and is not enforcing the same scrutiny it would elsewhere.
The opposition insists that the EU is turning a blind eye to the action taken against the Armenian Apostolic Church and continuing to present Armenia as a democratic success.
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world’s oldest church, founded in the First Century by Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew.
It became the first state church in 301 CE and holds deep religious and cultural significance.
The constitutional challenge forms part of the effort by the main opposition party, Strong Armenia, to exhaust every available domestic legal solution.
However, Aram Vardevanyan, who leads Mr. Karapetyan’s legal efforts in local courts, has stressed that pursuing proceedings should not be interpreted as confidence in the independence of the institutions responsible for deciding them.
“The Constitutional Court must be independent, fearless, and maintain political neutrality,” Mr. Vardevanyan said.
He added: “The fundamental question is whether the Constitutional Court today meets those criteria.”
Mr. Vardevanyan also confirmed that while Strong Armenia is committed to pursuing the legal process in full, it remains deeply concerned that the institutions responsible for adjudicating the election challenge lack the independence required by Armenia’s Constitution.
The letter also alleges that EU officials engaged almost exclusively with the Armenian government while failing to maintain meaningful dialogue with opposition parties.
Therefore, they have selected a preferred political outcome before the election had been scrutinised.
Despite the EU’s intervention and irregularities on the part of the authorities, Mr. Pashinyan was unable to secure a majority.
Even with extensive international backing, the government was unable to obtain even half of the vote, with most voters casting their ballots for the opposition.
Robert Amsterdam, Founder and Managing Partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, the lawyers involved in the case said:
“The European Union has not acted as a neutral observer. It has chosen to align itself with a government that has overseen widespread arrests, targeted its critics, attacked the Church and weakened democratic safeguards.
“Brussels cannot claim to be a defender of democracy while ignoring these abuses and refusing to engage seriously with opposition voices. The EU’s actions have helped shield this government from accountability.
“In claiming to resist Russian interference, Ms Von der Leyen has instead led a campaign of interference, hypocrisy and damage to the rule of law.
“The behaviour of the European Union tarnishes every principle it claims to stand for and places the very existence of Armenia in jeopardy.”