Samvel Karapetyan is a businessman, philanthropist, and supporter of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. He has been facing unlawful politically motivated charges since June 2025.

WHITE PAPER

Armenia’s Authoritarian Turn: Nikol Pashinyan and the Persecution of Samvel Karapetyan and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church

Authored by Robert Amsterdam, founder and managing partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP.

The White Paper documents how Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan has persecuted the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and businessman Samvel Karapetyan through politically motivated attacks, detentions, and seizure of business interests, allegedly due to the Church’s role in preserving Armenian identity and heritage. The document calls on the international community to denounce these actions and demand that charges be dropped, Karapetyan be released, and seized business interests be restored. The persecution is described as part of a broader pattern that includes scapegoating the Church and its leadership for failures in defending Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, while also attacking government officials and judicial independence.