«Վարչապետը կարծես թե գործում է ի շահ Ադրբեջանի»․ Ռոբերտ Ամստերդամ

Միջազգային իրավապաշտպան, փաստաբան Ռոբերտ Ամստերդամը ֆեյսբուքյան էջում գրել է․ «Վարչապետը, ով ցանկանում է Հայաստանին զրկել իր Անկախության հռչակագրից, հարձակվում է Եկեղեցու վրա և հերքում Արցախի պատմությունը, կարծես թե գործում է ի շահ Ադրբեջանի։ Ստորև ներկայացնում եմ իմ հարցազրույցը «Armenian Mirror-Spectator»-ին․

WATERTOWN — Issues that on the surface appear to pertain to domestic Armenian politics have appeared frequently in international fora and media and conversely internationally known figures have become involved in various Armenian domestic issues. One of these figures is the international lawyer Robert Amsterdam, who lives in London but has offices also in Washington. He has taken on Armenian political prisoner billionaire Samvel Karapetyan as a client and also has spoken out internationally on the problematic relations between the Armenian government and the Armenian Church.

The energetic 70-year-old is a native of the Bronx who was educated in Canada, where he also received Canadian citizenship. One of his most famous cases was the defense of oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, CEO of the Russian oil and gas company Yukos, against the Russian government. In an interview this week, he said, “I’ve been acting in the former Soviet Union, that region, for 50 years.”

Moreover, while Jewish himself, he has been involved in cases involving Orthodox or Eastern churches since the 1980s. More recently, he began defending the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2023 against the Ukrainian government, which is trying to prohibit this church on the grounds that it is connected to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Amsterdam may have come to the attention of Armenian readers previously also through his representation of the government of Turkey against the Gulenist movement. Amsterdam vehemently declared, “The Gulenist movement is an incredibly insidious, dangerous movement operating in the United States that is one of the most anti-Semitic organizations known to the world today.” While the case may have ended, Amsterdam added, primarily about their network of schools, that “they’re still ripping off the American taxpayer.”

He and his law firm, Amsterdam and Partners, take on a mixture of paid clients and pro bono cases. He said, “The only cases we choose are our pro bono cases, where we act for the opposition in numerous African countries — Uganda and Tanzania right now. I’ve done that for many years, and it’s part of my firm’s approach to human rights. … We choose meritorious cases around the world that we think require advocacy.”

Of course, when he and his firm are being paid, it is the clients who choose him.

On Armenian issues, Amsterdam said, “I can tell you that as a Jew, the Armenian Genocide is something that I’ve taken seriously all my life. You know, I think as a Jew, it’s impossible to ever be a denier of genocide.” He added, “Listen, I’m not going deny that I completely disagree with the present [Israeli] government’s behavior towards Azerbaijan. And… I have never represented anyone going near [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev because I’ve always been aware of, frankly, how dangerous a regime it is, because its notorious in terms of what it’s done to their own journalists.”

The Karapetyan Case

Karapetyan, while born in Tashir, Armenia, made his fortune in Russia, and with his Tashir Group conglomerate, became what some assess as the richest Armenian in the world. He is involved in Russia primarily in residential construction, real estate, manufacturing, hotels, retail trade and energy projects, and his firms have won billions of dollars of government contracts. The 60-year-old also has extensive business interests in Armenia, including the monopoly for electricity distribution there, called the Electric Networks of Armenia, a number of large thermal and hydroelectric power plants, a chain of restaurants, many of the largest malls in Armenia and various other real estate holdings.

Karapetyan has been a philanthropist in many different fields in Armenia, such as healthcare, and in particular has remained a consistent donor to the Armenian Church, having sponsored the construction and restoration of many Armenian churches starting from 1995. He was a major funder of the recent restoration of the Echmiadzin cathedral and a benefactor in the construction of the Armenian cathedral in Moscow and its cultural center. He also has supported the restoration of Armenian churches in other parts of the diaspora.

Some commentators see Karapetyan’s influential economic role in Armenia as having some kind of connection with the Russian government due to his successful business career in Russia. Karapetyan’s luxurious French Riviera villa, estimated to be worth 120 million euros, was impounded in February 2024 by the French government under suspicions of actually belonging to the giant Russian oil and gas company Gazprom through a money-laundering operation. Karapetyan challenged this seizure in court and this case appears to still be unresolved.

Karapetyan was included in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act list of 210 Russian government officials and oligarchs considered close to the Russian authorities that the US Treasury submitted to Congress in January 2018. However, those on this so-called Putin list were only under consideration for anti-Russian sanctions and the list of oligarchs was apparently only based on the level of wealth (with the implication that such great wealth could only be accumulated while enjoying good relations with the Russian rulers).


Topics: church-state relations, elections, Human Rights, International Relations, oligarchs, Political Prisoners
People: Catholicos Karekin II, Robert Amsterdam, Samvel Karapetyan
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When asked about this, Amsterdam retorted that “to my understanding, he’s never met Putin. He has no relationship with Putin….It’s like any number of wealthy Russians I’ve represented in the past who…because you’re Russian, all of a sudden, you’ve gone swimming with Putin. This is not the case.”

Karapetyan was arrested in Armenia after making a statement in condemnation of the attempts of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government to depose the head of the Armenian Church, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, and several other high-ranking clerics. Karapetyan declared on June 17, 2025: “A small group of people, having forgotten the millennia-old history of Armenia and the Church, have launched attacks on our people and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Since I have always stood by the Armenian Church and the Armenian people, I will become directly involved. If the politicians fail, then we will participate in our own way in all of this.” He was accused by the government of public incitement of the seizure of state power in this statement, which he denies.

“We were contacted, I think, shortly after the charges were brought by some of his lawyers, who … were assessing international dimensions to the case,” Amsterdam said. He was able to meet his client in prison, together with the other lawyers on Karapetyan’s team, whom he said he found to be very professional, gifted and self-sacrificing.

He also said, “The client himself was extraordinary. … I’m privileged to work often for people who are devout followers of Christ. And I have to say, with Mr. Karapetyan, I don’t think I saw him ever … feeling sorry for himself or [in] depression. He was completely alive to his circumstance, principled in his position and feeling completely devoted to his church.”

Amsterdam said that the condition of the prison in which Karapetyan was confined prior to being remanded on December 30, 2025 to house arrest was uncomfortable. On the one hand, he said he want to speak cautiously, “because I think he was not unfairly treated by the individuals in the prison.” However, he continued, “Mr. Karapetian, while young compared to me, is still 60 and it’s no place for any nonviolent offender to be, let alone someone with no criminal record — let alone someone charged with blatantly political crimes that have just no relevance to law.”

Amsterdam said that instead of house arrest, Karapetyan “should arguably be free to move about because he doesn’t constitute any form of risk. He is also active politically, so he should be able to communicate. He should be able to exercise his political rights, but he is not. And these are these are ongoing violations that are that are occurring every day.”

Amsterdam was present for two days of hearings. He said, “I was very fortunate that I was actually allowed to engage in the legal proceedings in Armenia, which is very rare. You know, I will be grateful always to my colleagues at the bar to allow me to actually plead the case in court.”

There have been other hearings and discussions. Some of the hearings seem to devolve into discussions of minutia such as Karapetyan’s getting a haircut, Amsterdam said.

Money laundering charges were added at one point but dropped. Amsterdam said, “They were just ridiculous again. I mean, there just is not even an interest in the prosecutors in trying to make it credible. … They’re trying to make it appear incredible because that sort of demonstrates, I guess, Pashinyan’s power.”

When asked what Amsterdam and the rest of the lawyers working for Karapetyan have achieved so far, Amsterdam replied: “I think the attention and the advocacy of the whole team has led at least to him being put in the company of his family, which is an achievement, but it’s not an achievement that allows him to exercise his rights. And there is a cynical way of looking at it, which is that Pashinyan looks less odious having the man at home than having him in prison.”

Amsterdam’s support of his client goes beyond legal actions and includes wide-ranging media appearances and even a speech at the announcement in February of Karapetyan’s candidacy for prime minister of Armenia in the forthcoming elections this year. He and his firm prepared a website called Free Samvel Karapetyan and an extensive 61-page “white paper” in October 2025 called Nikol Pashinyan and the Persecution of Samvel Karapetyan and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and they periodically send letters to international political leaders, organizations and courts.

Electric Networks of Armenia

On June 18, 2025, the same day that Karapetyan was taken in by the police for questioning, the government announced the intent to seize or nationalize the Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), which Tashir Group purchased in 2015. Parliament passed a law the next month allowing the initiation of administrative proceedings for this purpose and temporary manager was appointed to the company who was a member of the ruling Civil Contract party. While arbitration was requested by Karapetyan and his family and an international arbitrator (because ENA is managed through the Karapetyan’s Cyprus-registered company) ruled against the expropriation, the Armenian government rejected the ruling, so that the arbitration process is still continuing.

Though Armenia is rejecting the ruling, Amsterdam stressed about the arbitration: “That’s got a lot of teeth…especially with a country like Armenia. That’s not Russia, that is not a superpower.” He continued, “I think these types of actions, which are unprincipled, expropriatory, and clearly political, represent a dramatic threat to the security — the financial security — of Armenia.” In a March 23 letter he sent to the EU (see below), he suggested it send a delegation to inspect government violations of rule of law, including this issue.

Meanwhile, an Armenian administrative court on March 26 rejected a lawsuit filed by ENA against the government’s Public Services Regulatory Commission in connection with the revocation of the company’s electricity distribution license.

While some analysts point to a US effort to wrest control away from Russia of Armenia’s energy sector, and this nationalization could be interpreted in this context, Amsterdam said, “But I think it’s important to note that I have seen no element of the US behind Pashinyan’s behavior with the electric company.”

Religious Dimension Tied to Politics

Amsterdam believes that Karapetyan’s statement and his foray into Armenian domestic politics happened primarily because of the latter’s strong connection to the Armenian Church and its head, Catholicos Karekin II. Amsterdam said: “Mr. Karapetyan, I think, is a defender of the church. The church is central to his being. And the attack, the unprincipled attack, on the Catholicos and on the church is something that would probably have motivated him to speak out, to speak out within the constraints of law. And in today’s Armenia, I don’t think freedom of speech — when it comes to political speech that impacts Pashinyan — is necessarily allowed.”

Amsterdam went on further, as he has elsewhere, to compare Pashinyan with Pol Pot: “Not since Pol Pot led Cambodians into the jungle have I seen a leader act so contrary to the traditions, culture and religion of his people. Yes, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

As far as the Armenian Church goes, Amsterdam said, “I’ve had the privilege of meeting with the Catholicos on a series of occasions. I’ve also met with numerous members of the clergy because this is so central to our client. And of course, to be honest, it’s central to me personally. I have a very, very deep belief in freedom of conscience. And it’s something that all my legal life I’ve been engaged in.”

Amsterdam and the other lawyers representing Karapetyan have engaged with religiously oriented American outlets. Both Amsterdam and Karapetyan’s nephew, Narek Karapetyan, appeared on the Tucker Carlson show last November.

Amsterdam said that he has appeared on this show four times (primarily talking about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church) and known Tucker for many years. He said, “To be frank with you, I think the development of the interview had very little to do with me. But I think when Tucker found out that I was involved, he jumped on it…. He is a tremendous advocate for the rights of Christians all over the world, and I welcome[d] the opportunity.”

When asked whether both the Armenian government and opposition figures like Karapetyan seem to be attempting to approach US Evangelical leaders as a means to obtain US government support (e.g. the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington in February this year, or the November 2025 Yerevan prayer breakfast), Amsterdam said, “No, I think it’s the other way around. I think the United States has prior to Trump, post 9-11, developed a view that religion is foreign policy. People like [former Senator] Sam Brownback and others have made religious freedom part of a State Department attack on Russia, China and any other perceived enemies of the United States. They have, to some extent, instrumentalized religion. Prayer breakfasts occur in capitals where the United States wants to … curry favor.”

He said, “I think it’s been misused to some extent, though I think the US has woken up to the Pashinyan attack on the church. And I think that there have been words said to Pashinyan about how unfavorable that kind of attack is.”

As far as the EU’s point of view on the Pashinyan government’s attempts to get Catholicos Karekin II replaced, Amsterdam said, “Yeah, there is no way under European law for this to occur. The European Court of Human Rights and European law are absolutely black and white on this issue. And I have every confidence we could get an order at the European Court to stop this. I mean, what Pashinyan is engaging in is attempting to basically subvert the [Armenian] Constitution, European law and the European Convention. It’s not going to happen.”

He went even further, declaring: “This case is worse than any case that has ever come before the European Court. If this were to come before the European court, this would be the worst case of political interference in Europe’s history since the Nazis.”

When asked why he hasn’t brought this case before the European courts, Amsterdam pointed out that he does not legally represent Catholicos Karekin, the government has to take further steps, and then domestic remedies must be exhausted.

International Dimension to Elections and Karapetyan’s Case

In August 2025, Karapetyan and his family created the Our Way movement, which led to the creation of a political party called Strong Armenia in January 2026. Strong Armenia in turn announced on February 12 that Samvel Karapetyan is the party’s candidate for prime minister in Armenia’s forthcoming parliamentary elections this June.

Amsterdam observed that the forthcoming parliamentary elections are subject to international influence. He said, “If you look at the schedule of European leaders who are to attend in Armenia before the election, you might say to yourself that perhaps the EU might be doing what the Americans are saying they’re doing because you’re having a massive meeting of all EU leaders on May 4 and 5 in Yerevan. This has never happened before. [French President Emmanuel] Macron is coming along with everyone else and I think spending an extra day. So it certainly looks like the international brigade, if you will, are doing what they can to put their finger on the scale when it comes to the election.”

He added that a recent report in the US Congress basically denounced European Union meddling in the elections.

Amsterdam accepted that there are American attempts to influence the upcoming elections (e.g. Vice President J.D. Vance’s statement in support of Prime Minister Pashinyan during Vance’s February 2026 visit to Armenia) and Russian ones as well.

When asked about efforts to depict Karapetyan as a means for Russian influence, he argued, “If there’s anybody who is a foil for either Russia or Azerbaijan, it’s Mr. Pashinyan. He tries to use the Russia card every way he can.” He declare that there is “this perception that that anyone who isn’t in the pocket of the EU or the US must be therefore in the pocket of either Russia or Turkey or Azerbaijan; whereas actually, if you look at it, our client, who is phenomenally wealthy, is the one man in the position to be independent.”

On the other hand, Amsterdam said about Pashinyan: “I would say that objectively, a man who wants Armenia to get rid of its declaration of independence, a man who wants to strip the church of its property and its hierarchy, a man who denies the history of Artsakh and the ethnic cleansing, seems to be operating in the interests of Azerbaijan.” Moreover, he said, “Mr. Pashinyan has to be one of the least successful leaders that you can imagine. I mean, he has attempted to turn surrender into peace. I have rarely seen a man as unsuccessful with as inglorious a track record, take on and even credibly try to contest an election.”

Amsterdam said that there are also many international aspects to the case in terms of the European Court of Human Rights, the United Nations and issues relating to the behavior and independence of the judiciary which will come out over the next few weeks.

Among other things, he said that if the European Union sends a team to make sure all parties have access to the upcoming parliamentary elections in June, one of his roles would be to demand that team include Karapetyan’s case in its scope.

On March 23, Amsterdam already addressed a letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas asking for her to meet with Karapetyan and himself to discuss the mandate of a European hybrid rapid response team, insure inclusive engagement with stakeholders such as Karapetyan, and ask for an EU factfinding mission focused on the rule of law and democratic conditions, in order to make sure the forthcoming elections are free and fair.

He also said, “We are intent on bringing an application to the International Commission of Jurists on the lack of independence of the judiciary. We’re going to go to the United Nations, to the rapporteur on the independence of judiciary. Believe me, we’re not going to shut up while this situation in Armenia continues.